


(story on hold) Northern Downpour Sends Its Love

by redareia



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Domestic Fluff, Dream Smp, Elemental Magic, Enemies to Friends, Epic Battles, Epic Bromance, Epic Friendship, F/M, Fluff, Historical Fantasy, Joining forces, Learning Magic, Lunch Club - Freeform, Original Character(s), Original Universe, SMPLive - Freeform, Team Bonding, Team Dynamics, Team Feels, Team Fluff, Team as Family, Ted is an Airbender (kind of), Worldbuilding, charlie the punmaster, dream team, everyone has powers, maybe too much worldbuilding, original lore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2020-12-03
Packaged: 2021-02-23 04:07:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 23,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23638711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redareia/pseuds/redareia
Summary: (the story is very lunch club and friends centric, but three of the members and some of their friend have turned out to have done things that i don't support anymore, so im working on a new story)There were multiple powered people, most gaining their power from The Miracle, where fragments of magic star fell to Earth and granted the person closest a mystic ability. Nine came forward, and founded the Academy.The cynical Dream Team has risen from Dr. Antvenom's ashes, raising and growing his old army and hatching a plan to take down the kingdom from the inside with help from the Legion, a villain group run by Skeppy and BadBoyHalo.Now, a group of misfits with superpowers must rise to become Coruscent's newest batch of legendary heroes to defeat the Dream Team and the Legion before the kingdom is lost forever.Told from the perspectives of Techno, GeorgeNotFound, Wilbur, Tubbo, Wilbur, Slimecicle, and more!
Relationships: No Romantic Relationship(s)
Comments: 167
Kudos: 265





	1. Growing Opportunities

**Author's Note:**

> hey there!! my name is red, and this is my original mcyt fantasy au!
> 
> the characters are mostly minecraft youtubers and twitch streamers, most notably people from the dream smp, smplive, and offlinetv.
> 
> this was originally started in april 2020, but i took a couple month haitus and completely rewrote it to include more people and make the story more intresting.
> 
> i reply to every comment, so if you have any suggestions, creators you want me to add, or anything else you want to tell me, please leave a comment!! much love to all of you, and i hope you enjoy. <3

Charlie Dalgleish was a completely ordinary boy, except for the fact that he was not.

He tried to object this fact many times, but he slowly began to realize that the stone that hit him on the head from the sky was not a pebble that one of his siblings had thrown at him like he managed to trick himself into believing.

Legend had it that the shooting star had broken into 12 pieces, but only 9 people had shown up to the Academy with abilities, so the odds weren't nothing.

They were known as the Chosen Nine, respected by the government as saviors, by some of the peasants as snobs.

He couldn't bring himself to imagine what life would be like at the Academy. Everyone in the Kingdom knew their names, and either loved or hated them.

* * *

The First, Carson King: granted with the ability to read minds and see glimpses of the future. He proved his worth and received funding for the Academy when he predicted an assassination attempt on the King and saved his life.

The Second, Jonathan Schlatt: granted with the ability to control heat and fire. He had a rough start, originally using his powers for evil. Carson took him under his wing though, and soon enough Schlatt was recognized as a hero.

The Third, Ted Nivison: granted with with the ability of flight and to be able to control air. He was a bit of a prankster, but he was noted by the kingdom for his selflessness and his comedic personality.

The Fourth, Cooper Schulz: granted with the ability to control water and breathe it. He discovered this when taking a vacation to the beach, and noticed he won his family's breath holding contest by hanging out underwater for nearly an hour.

The Fifth, Travis Marrano*: granted with the ability to control and speak to animals. His job at the local animal shelter got a lot more interesting after being affected by the star's powers.

The Sixth, Noah Knowles*: granted with the ability to turn invisible. He was never super public about how or when he realized he had his abilities, but many assumed it had to do with the passing of his younger sister Rosie.

The Seventh, Wilbur Soot: granted with the ability to teleport. The kingdom's most famous musician had been in the middle of a concert, his second kingdom-wide tour, when suddenly the piece of shooting star hit his stage. 

The Eighth, Madi Musica: granted with the ability to manipulate sound waves into energy. A talented musician, she had been Wilbur's opening act that night with one of the pieces going backstage. 

The Ninth, Connor Varezzi*: granted with the ability to make himself look like other people, known as the abilities of a metamorphmagus. He was a known evil-doer who operated alongside Schlatt during his villian days, but seeing Schlatt become good cause his turnaround as well.

* * *

Who was Charlie? In his opinion, he didn't belong inside the Academy. He wasn't a superhero or a good-doer.

He was a slime farmer on his family's slime farm, raised to believe that those who lived atop Stormrein Hill were a bunch of selfish, good-for-nothing monsters who used their abilities to their advantage.

He had seen the Chosen Nine in a parade once, about a month earlier.

Ted Nivison and Wilbur Soot looked happy with, or at least okay with, seeing a crowd. Everyone else? He had seen their smiles and their waves, but their eyes betrayed their uncomfortability. He had felt shocked, or a little betrayed.

The heroes he had known his entire life weren't quite the big, brave heroes he had hoped. He had felt something boil up inside him, anger perhaps. He stomped his foot on the ground in anger, feeling like he wasn't really safe with them protecting him.

Underneath where his foot fell, a green twisty vine had grown from the stone beneath. Charlie felt a couple of the Chosen Nine staring at him, so he ran.

That's the day he realized he wasn't quite as normal as he had hoped he was.

Could he be the Tenth? Was there even such thing as the Chosen Tenth?

His brown swoopy hair fell over his forehead in different directions, depending on where the wind was blowing.

He had been practicing since that day, but struggled to get very far. He seemed to be able to control the earth and its plants. 

Would the other Academy members see him as one of them? Or would they see a stupid dumb farmer? He kicked some pebbles in frustration.

* * *

"Carson? What's wrong? You look off again," commented Travis, sliding Carson a cup of hot tea.

"I'm just thinking about him again, I guess. What if he's the Tenth?" sighed Carson, thanking Travis with a head nod.

"Oh, the Tenth bullshit again?" taunted Schlatt, who was promptly elbowed in the ribs by Connor.

"Shut up, bitch. I think Carson's got a point. If he really saw that kid.. what did you say he did again?" quipped Connor.

"He stomped the ground, and where he stopped, a thick vine grew up from under the rocks." said Carson dramatically.

"If he is the Tenth, we could all four elements, you know? He could be earth, I'd be air, Schlatt would be fire, and Cooper would be water!" exclaimed Ted.

"I'm not sure. It's been just the nine of us for a while..." Madi said nervously from behind Ted.

"I'm agreeing with Carson. I saw the kid too. Not the summon a vine from the ground part, but just saw him. He stood out." added Wilbur softly.

"I think we should find him. If he ever shows up here or near here, we should treat him with respect. He might be one of us," advised Carson.

"What if he's part of Dr. An-" began Cooper darkly.

"Don't say that name." said Noah at once, a regretful gleam in his shining eyes.

"Do you know his name?" asked Travis, looking at Carson with admiration.

Carson closed his eyes, smiled a bit, and nodded.

"Charlie." 


	2. Insert Telephone by Lady Gaga

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Chosen Nine contact a bewildered Charlie.
> 
> While he struggles to figure out if it was a dream, the group shares a domestic moment.

Charlie awoke in the middle of the night with searing head pains. He grasped his forehead with pain, fumbling around for his glasses. He managed to slip them on, but they sat crooked on his nose, one side of his glasses failing to hook behind his ear.

He stood up, and suddenly the world faded into black, then into white. He could hear voices, a lot of them, mushed together as if multiple people were speaking into a funnel that lead directly into his brain. 

He could suddenly see someone standing there. A tall, slender man leaning against a wall with a dark suit and working boots, bouncing a ball of fire against the ground like it was a bouncy ball. His light brown hair bounced softly, his baby face and gentle words not matching his deep voice.

"Carson? I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but maybe you should practice telepathic connecting a little more with the people nearby you instead of trying to contact him first try," he said, a sweet and airy tone to a voice that just didn't fit. Carson? His name, wasn't-

It hit him. Fire controlling man with a soft face. Being called Carson. Telepathy. _He was being contacted by the Chosen Nine._

"Carson? Hello? Speak to us?" said an even softer voice, something Charlie wasn't sure existed.

Another face came into a frame. A boy with curly dark hair, a pastel pink hoodie, and a little dog trailing behind him. _Travis._

_Hello? I'm Charlie!_ he attempted to say, but no sound came out.

"I've contacted him! I did it!" yelled a deep voice, seemingly coming from right beneath him. _Carson._

"W-what's he sayin'?" called an eastern-accent voice that Charlie couldn't see. _Ted: The Air-bending Sensation._

_Why are you contacting me? What's happening?_ he screamed, but still, no noise. He began to panic.

"He's-uh-asking what's-uh-going on," said Carson said, sounding exhausted. This must be tiring.

A girl with straight brown hair and horn-rimmed glasses entered Charlie's limited view.

"Listen, Charles- We don't have much time. We think that you may be the Tenth!" she said, honest and pure. _Madi._

A cute boy with dark, curly hair and a beanie walked up behind Madi. He smiled with the sweetness of a candy shop.

"I know you're worried, scared, and confused. But please- write us. You know where!" he said. _Wilbur._

"I'm losing him!" hissed Carson aggressively. Almost immediately, the darkness of his peripheral vision slowly began closing in.

"See ya later, alligator!" followed by a distinctive "Ow, Schlatt you bitch!" was heard as the darkness closed in fully. _Connor._

The clear, pristine voices became muffled and dull. He tried screaming, still nothing. His heartbeat began to pick up.

When Charlie awoke, he was in his bed. He groaned, having trouble sitting up. Growing out of his mattress right next to where his hands were clumps of weeds and dandelions. He gave a screeched jumping out of bed as fast as he could. There should not be weeds growing out of his bed.

He should not be have telepathic communications with the Chosen Nine. Wait, no, wrong.

He should not be having weird dreams about Chosen Nine contacting him, because there's no way that the first thing could've happened.

... Right?

* * *

When Carson awoke, he was not in his bed. He was on a couch in the Academy common room with an ice pack on his head. Voices of his friends filled his ears.

"See you later alligator? Really? We could be talking to a future Chosen member, and _that's_ what you say as goodbye?"

"It's a perfectly logical goodbye. Shows my comedic side, shows that I'm fun and spunky"

"Okay, yeah, totally _spunky_. Wait until everyone knows the all powerful Connor Varezzi, the great metamorphmagus of the North, uses _see you later alligator_ as his choice of formal goodbye."

He sat up to see Schlatt and Connor arguing while eating reheated leftovers from the night before dinner. They're voices were full of aggression, but their faces bore smiles and their eyes shone with laughter.

Noah was passed out on the other couch, a small bottle of mead on the floor. Noah was the oldest, the only one legally old enough to drink it, but that didn't stop everyone else from taking swigs from his glass when he wasn't looking.

Carson took a small pebble off the floor and chucked it at Connor's round head. It hit him squarely in the eye, more accurate than where Carson was aiming.

"Asshole!" exclaimed Connor while Schlatt laughed with a mouthful of leftovers. He swallowed, and looked over at Carson.

"Good morning sunshine," he said dryly, eyeing Carson with his trademark sarcastic-comedic gleam.

"What happened? I don't remember it very well," admitted Carson. Telepathic connection was often frowned upon, so he didn't get much practice.

"You decided, with no practice beforehand, to contact the Charles guy-" began Schlatt calmly.

"-Charlie" injected Connor with a shit-eating grin on his face.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. You made an idiot move and it somehow worked. You said you got connected to him, and we asked what he was saying, and you said he was asking what was going on."

"That was to be expected!" quipped Connor. Carson guessed the shapeshifter had taken a swig of Noah's mead.

"Be quiet, pussy. Madi and Wilbur, the angels they are, began to calmly explain a little bit to him, and then you gripped your forehead saying that you were losing the connection. That's when this _idiot_ over here said 'see you later alligator' like it was cool or something." finished Schlatt, slapping Connor when he laughed.

_Hmm,_ thought Carson _, at least we got close again. At least we got close._

Ted walked in, a large platter of perfectly cooked steaks in hand. 

"Fresh off the grill, bay-beee!" he exclaimed, moving his hand in a shooing motion at the steaks. This summoned a small force of wind, blowing off the steaks to decrease their temperature. Carson had considered getting a chef until he learned Ted would be moving in.

Ted reached over and yanked a fancy white rope. It caused a bell to softly ring upstairs.

"DINNER! D-I-N-N-E-R!" yelled the tall man up the stairs, dashing a bit of salt onto the steaks. He turned around and noticed Carson sitting up. He smiled as he flicked his hand again, causing a cold rush of wind to knock Noah's blanket off of him and wake him up.

"Carson! You're awake!" he exclaimed happily.

"Yes, dad, I am," he joked, seeing Ted's grin light up.

"Don't talk to your father with sarcasm. Now, you better tell me what telepathic communication feels like over dinner."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed Chapter Two!
> 
> Knowing me, this fic will be almost entirely domestic moments so you better enjoy it.
> 
> Chapter Three will hopefully be posted tomorrow!! ♥


	3. Trusting the Postal Service

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlie meets with Dr. Jordan Maron and writes a letter. The Chosen Nine receive it.

"Charlie! The doctor needs a refill! Can you take it to town today?" the brown haired boy heard his sister Jamie yell from downstairs.

The kingdom's best doctor, Dr. Jordan Maron, often used slime as part of certain medications, especially with the Rotonya Virus spreading around down south. His family had the  _ prime slime _ for creating medication, so every two weeks they delivered him a refill.

"Y-yeah, no problem!" yelled back Charlie, hopping down the stairs two at a time. It had been two days since his communication-no, dream. He carefully slipped on his farmer's boots, and headed out the door.

"CHARLIE! You forgot the refills!" he heard his other sister yell. He turned around, his eldest sister Margaret standing there with a large crate of slime in her hands.

"Sorry! Got distracted," he said meekly, taking the crate nervously into his arms.

He walked over to his trusty horse Kiana. She was a beautiful horse with the coloring of a calico cat. He hitched the crate up on her back, fastening it as tight as possible. 

Once he was sure it was tightened, he slung himself onto her back, positioning himself as he slid his fingers over her reins. It had always felt natural to him.

It was a short but slightly dangerous ride to the heart of town. He had to go through the Bandit's forest, a short stretch of forest home to the notorious Dream Team, a trio of ex-military members who pillaged those who rode through here.

He personally had never had any experience with them, though Jamie had multiple times. Today was no exception, though he could've sworn he saw a shadow in the trees watching him as he rode past. He gave a short, happy wave but the shadow was gone as soon as it had appeared.

The town was full of energy and life today. The city had a small, four-foot wall built up around it for very basic protection and aesthetic purposes. Charlie stopped Kiana right outside the gate, where a guard friend of his was waiting. His face lit up as he recognized him.

"Condi! How are you?" exclaimed Charlie as he slid off of the beautiful horse.

"I'm not bad. Not many people passing through today, but there was another Dream Team attack report," added Condi sadly.

Charlie unhitched the crate, taking it in carefully in his arms. Inside laid twenty cylinders of glowing green slime.

"Another delivery for Dr. Maron?" asked Condi fondly.

"Yep. Rotonya is getting bad again and he's the only one who can make the medication," said Charlie, stifling a yawn.

"Good luck," added Condi, letting him in. The guard watched his childhood friend carry the crate of slime over to the doctor's office, sighing a bit. There was always something about Charlie Dalgleish that seemed special to him.

Usually, Charlie had to go inside Dr. Maron's office, wait in a long line, have to show some ID, and then give him the crate. Today, Dr. Maron stood anxiously outside his office, pacing back and forth. His face bore a mix of worry and confusion, his hands behind his back as he walked.

"Charlie! There you are! Perfect timing! I presume there is 20 containers of slime, just like I ordered?" exclaimed Dr. Maron upon seeing him carrying over the large crate. The doctor snapped his fingers, and a tall assistant took the crate from Charlie's arms.

"Yes sir! 20 containers of our family's finest slime," answered Charlie knowingly. He watched the doctor take a small bag from his belt, and opened it to reveal a trivial amount of gold coins. He watched as the doctor counted out ten.

"There you go! 10 gold coins. Surely that will be enough?" checked the doctor, pouring them into Charlie's open hands. Charlie nodded excitedly, giving Dr. Maron a small, respectful bow.

"Did you hear about the Chosen Nine's announcement?" added Dr. Maron quizzically, raising an eyebrow at the sturdy young boy.

"Ch-chosen Nine? What, no? Did something happen?" answered Charlie way too quickly. He felt goosebumps run up and down his spine.

"They're looking for a boy named Charlie. They believe he may be the Tenth! They want whoever thinks they may be that Charlie to write them a letter."

Charlie suddenly felt sweaty and dizzy, the world fading out from around him. His throat became dry, and his hands felt wet.

"Th-th-thank you Dr. Maron. Hopefully you don't get yourself into a  _ sticky  _ situation!" added Charlie quickly. He dashed off across town. He had to get to the post office.  
  


* * *

Letters whizzed through the air, courtesy of Ted. The Chosen Nine had received a lot, regretting their kingdom-wide statement. So many people in the kingdom pretending to be named Charlie or claiming to know a Charlie: it was exhausting. 

Cooper, Travis, and Madi were out running kingdom errands, leaving the rest of them to sort through the letters. Connor and Schlatt were basically racing to see who could read the most letters, tearing through the spam mail, yelling out insults and rejections.

Whenever said their letter was a dud, Ted used his abilities to have the wind sweep it out of their hand into a rejection pile.

Carson and Noah moved through the letters more slowly and more carefully, but still with a generally well-paced speed.

Wilbur took the time to linger on every word and laugh at every joke, feeling the emotion written in every word. 

One joke in particular made him laugh extra loud, getting the group's attention.

"This one signed off their letter with  _ 'In a while, crocodile!',  _ that's really good!" exclaimed Wilbur, which made the rest of the room stop.

"What?" exclaimed Connor and Schlatt, stopping their contest to look over at the cute boy who originally hailed from a different kingdom.

"Gimme that!" said Carson, which caused Ted to use his wind power to float the letter over to Carson.

_ Dear Chosen Nine, _

_ My name is Charlie and I've had some weird things go on around me recently. _

_ I'm not sure if you'll ever read this letter. I had a weird dream that I was talking to you all last night. _

_ I can't really tell anymore what's a dream and what's something that is just simply the world playing tricks on me. _

_ If you do ever read this letter, I hope you know that I think I may have powers like you guys. _

_ I can't afford much more paper and ink than this, so I apologize for the short letter. _

_ In a while, crocodile: _

_ Charlie Dalgliesh _

_ Slimecicle Farms _

"That's it! We found him!" exclaimed Carson, reading over the letter excitedly.

"How..?" began Wilbur looking confused. Ted also looked a little uncertain.

"When we contacted him, Connor said 'see you later, alligator' like a loser before we lost contact. By using 'in a while, crocodile', it means he remembers that and he's showing it!" explained Schlatt happily.

"Charlie Dalgliesh of Slimecicle Farms! Anyone know where Slimecicle Farms is?" asked Carson.

"I do." said Noah, taking another swig of his mead.


	4. Coming Up With Weather Puns is a Breeze

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unexpected visitors show up at Slimecicle Farms.

The storm outside made the sky turn a dark, churning blue that looked like something out of a movie.

Margaret Dalgleish basically threw herself indoors, kicking off her rainboots and throwing her umbrella aside.

"Charlie? Are all the windows shut?" she yelled, her brother seemingly staring off into space. He flushed a deep red.

"Yeah, yeah, they are. You had me shut them all an hour ago," he mumbled, stifling a yawn.

"You gotta stop staring off into space, buddy. I get the Chosen Nine's announcement must have you doing thinking but.." her voice trailed off.

"Why bother talking about them? Stuck up, selfish, living in that dazzling building with their oh-so-cool powers!" snorted Jamie, high-fiving Margaret.

"Yeah, totally. Stuck-up and selfish," Charlie fake-agreed, thinking about how concerned Schlatt had sounded about Carson when they had contacted him.

_No, no, no. What are you doing? You can NOT base your opinion of people off of a dumb dream._

"Where are Kiana, Domingo and Alfonso?" asked Margaret. Typical of her to be concerned about the horses.

"They're fine. All the slimes are locked up as well!" answered Jamie, digging through the pantry.

"Is there enough for a good meal tonight?" asked Charlie, his stomach grumbling. 

"A meal. Not a good one though," said Jamie, pulling out some slightly stale vegetables. Slime farming wasn't the most profitable business in the land.

Charlie nodded. He was used to not being able to have all three meals each day. He remembers two months of his childhood where they would just eat lunch to consume rations.

"Any meal is a good meal." quipped Margaret, the eldest. She had seen more than either of them.

"Took the words right out of my mouth," added Charlie, trying to establish his place as middle child properly. Jamie rolled her eyes.

Margaret was reading a soggy newspaper, frowning at it. She was not a good person to play poker with.

"It says here it might rain for another two days!" she groaned, tossing the printed paper on the table.

"I drought it!" said Charlie, a maniacal grin on his face.

"Yeah, I doubt it as well- Wait a minute! Charlie, another pun and I will hit you!" exclaimed Margaret, while Jamie burst out laughing.

  
The small home was filled with that warm, knowing energy that came from your siblings. Jamie attempted her best salad with the stale vegetables they had left, and Charlie pretended he was full. He had a feeling Margaret was as well, but he didn't say anything. None of them did.

Charlie was teaching himself how to read more complex books, looking at his older sister's study materials. She wanted to be an apprentice to someone like Dr. Maron, but Charlie didn't think she had the memory for it.

"What was that?" asked Jamie suddenly. She was staring out the back window, a confused look on her face.

"What was what? I didn't see anything," said Margaret, her concentration on washing the dishes.

Charlie felt a nervous feeling run down the back of his neck down to his left foot. He looked down to see a small patch of clovers growing out of the floor right where his left foot was. He quickly ripped them up before his sisters saw.

Suddenly, a knock was heard on the door. Charlie jumped up onto his feet, grabbing his sisters umbrella as a weapon.

_Weird. I don't remember have this good of a fight-or-flight reaction._

The door burst open as if a burst of wind had pushed it open. There, stood two tall figures, one about two inches taller than the other. The taller also carried a basket covered in a dark cloth. They both bore dark cloaks, initially hiding their facial features. Charlie couldn't help but notice the crest on the cloak: a castle with two suns above it. _The Chosen Nine's Symbol._

"It wasn't very nice of you to _storm_ in here like that!" said Charlie automatically. Did he really just say that? He was about to apologize for such a dumb joke.

Suddenly, the taller figure burst into a fit of laughter. He had a big, booming voice that really commanded the space. The shorter one began giggling as well. They removed their cloaks, and Charlie felt his jaw drop. _Ted Nivison and Noah Knowles._

"What the HELL are two Chosen doing here?" raged Margaret from behind him. He knew things would turn ugly.

Charlie whipped around, waving his hand flat in front of his neck to say 'don't do that'! Margaret seemed to back off, and Jamie stayed silent despite the fire in her eyes.

"We are here looking for Charlie Dalgleish. I assume it's you?" said Noah, giving Charlie a rare friendly smile. He nodded, shocked. _Wait, was Noah wearing eyeliner?_

"Oh my gosh. I had a feeling you were going to be funny! You really caught me off guard though." said Ted to Dalgliesh boy, acting like he had known Charlie all his life. Strangely, Charlie kinda felt the same way. Something about the way he talked and moved gave off a sense of familiarity.

"Oh, uh, yeah. Puns are my strong point." admitted Charlie, completely unsure of what to say.

"What's in the basket?" asked Jamie accusingly. Charlie couldn't help but notice the kitchen knife in her hand. He could tell the Chosen could sense it as well.

"It's just a little something I cooked for you guys, don't worry. I heard rumors you guys didn't eat the best." said Ted, taking the dark cloth off to reveal a stunning looking banana bread. The warm, delicious scent suddenly filled the small house as Ted handed it to Charlie.

"That's... very kind of you." said Margaret, taking the basket from Charlie's arms. Charlie felt himself rooted in place.

"Why are you here for me?" asked Charlie, though he felt he knew the answer.

"I thought it might be a little obvious, you know? We contacted you, you contacted us. Seemed a little mutual to me." said Noah, an honest air to his voice.

"..Charlie? What is he talking about?" asked Jamie, concerned.

"There's something about me I haven't been telling you guys. I was too scared to come forward about it, because of how you guys reacted to the initial forming of the Chosen Nine." he began, feeling his arms shake a bit.

He could hear Ted whisper something to Noah, who just nodded. Margaret and Jamie looked more than nervous: even scared.

"I can do things, with my mind. I have powers. It-it sounds crazy I know. But I can do things with the earth, with nature, with plants and trees!" he said desperately, trying to explain. He felt anger boil up inside him, similar to what happened at the parade a month ago.

"Stop messing around, Charlie. We are Slime farmers, not rich snot noses! I don't know how you got them here for your elaborate little prank, but it's not funny anymore." hissed Margaret, something deep forming in her throat.

"This is not a joke! I'm being serious!" said Charlie, trying to keep calm.

"Prove it! Prove you're one of those selfish brats!" snapped Jamie.

Charlie suddenly stomped on the ground with his foot. Where he had stomped, a small tree suddenly burst out from under the floorboards and began to grow. It grew until apples grew from it's branches. The warm energy was gone, and replaced with a cold, shocked feeling.

"Go! Go with them!" hissed Margaret. She grabbed Jamie by the shoulders, her eyes cold and focused on the tree that was now growing from the kitchen.

"I'm sorry. Do you want to come with us?" asked Ted gently as he placed a steady hand on Charlie's shoulder. He nodded, and they stepped out into the rain.

There, Charlie saw a small carriage was tied to some horses. They clambered inside, and Charlie was left speechless.

"Welcome to the team, Earthbender!" exclaimed Ted, which caused Noah to bury his head in his hands and groan while Charlie gave a genuine laugh as he soft down on the soft stain cushions of the carriage.

"Charlie! How are you feeling?" asked Ted as the carriage began to move. His bright personality and expressive face hardly matched his all-black clothing.

"I feel... well, I guess it's a mix of things. My sisters, I mean I should've expected that kind of reaction," began Charlie, not 100% sure how to explain it.

"They seemed really off-put by the whole thing," said Noah, eyeing Charlie as if he knew what was going to happen next.

"It's just the idea of the Chosen Nine probably doesn't exactly please them, that's what I'm guessing," Ted said, more casually than Charlie would've thought.

"N-no offense to you guys or anything! We were just kinda-"

"-told that we were rich assholes who lived up in our tower and never did anything for anyone?" finished Noah dryly.

"I didn't mean that! I definitely don't think of you guys like that," gasped Charlie, beginning to panic. That's when he caught a comedic gleam in Noah's eyes.

"It's totally chill dude. We get it. Our job is to make sure that nobody finds out about our job, in a way. It looks like we never do anything because the king doesn't want the kingdom to think they're in any danger. If they reported on everything we did and everyone we fought, it would make the kingdom look like it was overrun by criminals or that the king didn't care about the crime rate!" explained Ted, waving his hands dramatically in the air.

"Oh. I get it, it's like you're spies in a way. Except for the fact you're famous," said Charlie with a smile.

"B-i-n-g-o. Bingo, you got it kiddo," said Noah.

"Don't call me kiddo. I'm like what, a year or two younger than you?" retorted Charlie playfully.

"Really? You're.." began Noah kindly.

"Short, yeah. I've been this height kinda my whole life," admitted Charlie, knowing that 5' 9" wasn't exactly the height of a superhero.

"Doesn't matter. Travis is like the same height as you. Connor is only a little bit taller than the two of you," said Ted, thinking about it. Charlie looked at the 6' 4" man on his left and the 6' 2" guy across from him and felt short anyway.

"By the way, Noah, are you wearing eyeliner?" asked Charlie, his eyebrows raised. Ted burst out laughing while Noah's cheeks flooded red. The bearded man did have an extremely thin line of waterproof eyeliner on.

"I-I-It's an invisibility thing. When you're invisible, you can't see yourself, so it kinda helps," lied Noah smoothly. The real reason was it made him look a little more dark and mysterious. Charlie fell for it though, nodding.

"C-can you show me? The invisibility thing?" asked Charlie, extremely curious. Noah said nothing, instead just closing his eyes. Suddenly, Charlie blinked and Noah was completely gone. A look of wonder spread across the boy's face as he looked at his invisible comrade.

"Boo!" said Noah, grabbing Charlie's leg, which caused Charlie to yelp out and dissolve into giggles along with Ted. As Noah reappeared, it looked like someone was slowly taking off a large blanket or sheet off him. He very slowly came back, his eyes still closed. He popped them back open, a little bit of adrenaline still in them.

"What about you, Ted? Can you show me any wind powers?" asked Charlie. He was letting his childish side get a hold of him, acting as if he was two instead of twenty.

"Not much I can show you in a small carriage, but I'll show you when we get to the Academy!" exclaimed Ted, obviously as excited as Charlie.

Charlie couldn't help but wear the biggest grin possible. He was going to the Academy and going to meet the Chosen Nine. All negative thoughts were shoved out of his head, and he couldn't help but feel all the evil was sucked out of the world around him.

* * *


	5. Until The Sun Comes Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlie finally arrives at the Academy, but Chosen Nine hear from an old friend.

The Academy was basically a small castle on top of a giant hill, like something you'd see in a fairy tale. There are rumors that Carson had it built to replicate the Elder Guardians castle from the classic Coruscentian fairy tale _Why To Never Trust An Elder Guardian._

Charlie hadn't brought anything with him, not that he had much he wanted to bring. Maybe some clothing and some keepsakes, but he didn't plan on staying long. Once the Chosen Nine found out he didn't have as much control over his powers as they did, they were sure to kick him out.

Ted and Noah stepped out of the carriage when they arrived, looking for any signs of danger. Usually they had a member patrolling the area during this kind of weather due to the prime crime rate that always comes with darkness.

Once the area had been checked, Noah waved Charlie out of the carriage with his white-gloved hand. Charlie stepped out the fancy carriage with his tattered, muddy work boots and obvious hand-me-down clothing. 

He gulped, unsure of how the other Chosen Nine would treat him. The charismatic Ted and mysterious Noah seemed to like him, and he decided that's all he needed. As long as the rest of them didn't absolutely hate his guts, of course. He could probably handle mild dislike.

He followed Ted and Noah into the castle, prepared to see shining hallways, fancy artwork, luxury furniture, and other treasures. Maybe a maid or butler, with tall vaulted walls and painted stained glass ceilings. What he did see surprised him.

It was a large common room that looked like a bunch of teenage boys lived there. After thinking about it, Charlie realized that was exactly what it was: nine people in their late teens and early twenties living in this house.

On the left side, a large but cozy kitchen that seemed pretty fairly organized except for the piles of dishes in the sink and the ravaged snack cupboard. Bar stools were pressed up against a kitchen island like a pub. On the island were a couple plates of assorted baked goods, obviously homemade. Charlie had a feeling he knew who made them.

On the right side, four cushioned couches in front of a fireplace, arranged in rows of two facing each other. The couches were covered in ugly pillows, blankets, socks, food crumbs, and dog hair. One couch close to the fireplace even had one of the corners burnt up. A coffee table was in the middle of the four couches, which was currently being used.

Charlie didn't recognize him right away, unable to see his face as it was buried in a book. The long dirty brown hair rain down the boy's face and into his eyes. On the coffee table, sat a tall glass of bubbly and a bowl of water. Bubbly was the Coruscent Kingdom's famous substitute for mead, so Charlie knew the boy was not 22 yet. Several books also laid out on the table, where Charlie could see the names of them.

_Water Manipulation: An Advanced Guide._

_Aquatic Attacks and How to Master Them._

_Using Hydro Magic without Hurting Wildlife: A Step-by-Step Guide._

"We have returned!" bellowed Ted suddenly, hanging his and Noah's cloaks up on a cloak rack by the front entrance. Charlie had clicked together the puzzle pieces, and wasn't surprised when Cooper looked back up at him. The boy closed his book, gave a sheepish smile, and walked over.

"Hi there, you must be Charlie! I'm Cooper, but you might know that already. Can I get you anything to drink or eat?" asked the boy kindly. He scratched the back of his neck with his hand almost nervously. Charlie realized that they must not get a lot of visitors up here.

"He'll take a warm glass of cider. The rain was cold and he didn't have a cloak," quipped Noah, and Cooper did a joking salute before scurrying off to the kitchen. Charlie looked around to see if any of the other members were around, and he didn't wait long before he heard quiet footsteps coming down the stairs. Multiple sets of footsteps, but one set sounded a lot different than the other.

"Coopie? Are you making cider?" asked the voice, and Charlie instantly recognized Travis. The second step of footprints instantly made sense when he saw a little dog walk around the corner beside the teenage boy.

"Yeah, you want a glass?" responded Cooper, taking out the bottle of cider. Travis nodded, which caused Cooper to grab another glass.

"Oh! You're arrived! I'm sorry I didn't notice!" squeaked Travis upon noticing the trio standing in the doorway.

"It's no problem! I'm Charlie!" exclaimed the excited brown haired boy. He had wanted to meet Travis, learn what animals said. It gave him a sense of curiosity that he rarely found elsewhere.

"Travis! This is my dog Isabella, or Izzy for short!" exclaimed the happy hoodie wearing teenager, waving an arm to reference the adorable dog. The dog was a light tan color with a white underbelly and a grey spot around it's left eye. It looked very soft, but had short fur. Charlie adored it.

"Two glasses of warm cider!" called Cooper, setting them on the kitchen island while Ted attempted to clear the other dishes off of it. Ted surely knew how to make a mess in the kitchen, but cleaning it up was a different story.

"Thank you!" said Charlie while Travis happily gave a "Thanks!". Noah looked around, his eyebrows a little furrowed.

"Who's out on patrol right now? I thought it was your turn tonight" he asked, eyeing Cooper. Cooper gave a smile.

"Schlatt lost a bet with me so he's patrolling tonight. We-"

"You better not have been up on the roof again!" interjected Ted in his typical dad™ voice. Cooper laughed and rolled his eyes.

"No no no. We were playing cards with Madi and Connor. Loser had to patrol tonight. Schlatt tried to cheat I think, but he lost anyways. Now he's out in the rain!" said the water powered boy in a sing song voice.

Charlie did notice on the coffee table laid an askew pile of playing cards, and a couple seemed to be smoking. Charlie assumed those were the cards Schlatt was holding when he found out he had lost. Noah rolled his eyes and gave his signature groan.

"Last time we made Schlatt patrol, he missed the area near the stables and we nearly had a case of arson. I'm gonna go check on him," said Noah, slipping his cloak back on. Charlie watched as the skilled, lanky man threw up the hood and turned invisible. The door then seemingly opened and shut by itself, leaving Charlie in awe. He would probably never get used to that.

Suddenly, Charlie heard a sound of excitement and joy. He turned to see a pretty girl with straight brown hair and horn-rimmed glasses walking down a set of stairs. She wore a cashmere sweater, a pair of leggings, and tall thick socks. Her face lit up upon seeing Charlie.

"Hi!! Welcome to the Academy, my name is Madi! You're soaking wet, can I get you a fresh pair of clothes? You look about the same size as Connor or WIlbur," said Madi, quickly and excitedly. She had a lot of energy.

"Mads, slow your roll. He just got here!" exclaimed Travis after laughing.

"You do look like you need a change of clothes there, bud," added Cooper, eyeing Charlie's ripped and stained clothing.

"Connnnorrrrr, we need to borrow a set of your clothes!" yelled Ted up the stairs, his loud voice echoing. 

"Sure!" yelled an accented voice back. Connor came from outside the main part of town, but still within kingdom boundaries.

Moments later, a thick wad of clothes was thrown down the stairs. Ted chucked them at Charlie, who caught them. He never had good reflexes, was this part of his power?

Before he could ask where a restroom was to get changed, a door to a basement swung open. In the doorway, stood a tall gentleman with glasses similar to Charlie's and a blonde bowl cut that perfectly shaped his head. He wore fancy robes that looking soft and snuggly, Charlie just wanted to reach out and feel them.

"Get everyone! We got a Q58!" he yelled, catching everyone's attention. Suddenly, a loud burst of footsteps from upstairs came flying down. Charlie recognized Connor, and the curly headed cutie Wilbur. Everyone in the kitchen also got out of their chairs and began to follow Carson.

Travis put a hand on Charlie's shoulder, a familiar smile on his face. He waved Charlie to follow, and he began to follow the rest of the gang down to the basement. It wasn't anything like his grandfather's basement: the walls and ceiling were smooth stone instead of dirt. The gang began to circle around a table with a large orb in the center of it. It seemed to float, like it didn't abide by the rules of gravity.

Suddenly, a bust appeared on the orb. The boy didn't look like he was in very good shape: a bruise on his forehead, a scar on his cheek, and a cut lip paired with heavy breathing and ripped clothes. The orb only showed the chest and up of the boy, but Charlie felt like he could imagine everything else: scraped knees, wobbly legs, and a twisted ankle most likely.

"G-g-guys. I c-cant talk long but I need you to know I-I'm still here," whispered the boy in a hoarse voice, panic shining in his eyes as he constantly looked around while he spoke.

"Josh, where are you? How are you alive? I thought-" started Carson, a sad look in his eyes.

"Hank k-killed me? N-no, he couldn't do th-that. He k-knocked me out an-and put me in th-this dungeon," he answered, a distant look in his pale brown eyes. His short hair seemed to suit the way of life he was living. Charlie had no idea who this was, but he almost felt like he knew him.

"We're so glad you're alive! How can we help you?" asked Madi, who looked like she was trying to not press her face up against the orb.

"His h-hideout is in-" began Josh, before a loud yell occurred in the background and the orb suddenly disconnected.

"Josh is alive!" yelled Cooper happily, and the whole group began celebrating. Charlie could feel the love and energy shared between them all. He wished he could stay here, and he wished he could do something.

* * *

Charlie felt like it was within the blink of eye that the mood of the house changed from warm and fuzzy to overjoyous and celebratory. Ted was standing at the kitchen island, pouring everyone Bubbly. Noah and Schlatt weren't back yet, but Charlie had the feeling that Noah would be dramatically drinking mead in the corner if he were.

Bubbly wasn't as high priced as mead, but Charlie hadn't had the opportunity to drink it yet. His parents had always advised him to drink water, telling him that the Bubbly would kill him. As he got older, he saw it was a cover-up of sorts for the fact they couldn't afford it.

He nervously stood next to Connor, eyeing the Bubbly as if he thought there was poison in it. He eyed a glass bottle full of a light orange looking liquid labeled "Peachy Punch" and a yellow one labeled "Banana Blast". He wondered if they made a watermelon flavor, that's always been his favorite.

He suddenly felt a tap on his shoulder a moment later, and he turned around to see Carson himself standing there. In his hands, a bottle of red Bubbly entitled "Watermelon Wonder". Charlie felt his jaw drop, wondering how he knew that.

"It's my power, reading minds, remember?" answered Carson aloud, a cheeky grin on his face. Charlie allowed himself to laugh, taking the bottle from Carson's hands. He felt the tension in his shoulders leave him immediately.

"Thanks. I'm Charlie," he said, extending his hand nervously. The two pairs of eyes nestled behind very similar pairs of glasses met each other, exchanging a shared feeling of mutual respect.

"Carson King," said the First, taking Charlie's hand and shaking it. Carson's face showed a lot more wisdom than Charlie thought a twenty year old's face should.

"I'm guessing you're a little bit confused? I didn't need to read your mind for that one, I'd be confused too. Everything would probably be a lot easier without the whole Josh thing," said the tall boy gently.

"If you're comfortable with it, could you explain it to me? I don't need all the details or anything, just enough to understand the situation," asked Charlie, not wanting to pry. Obviously, it was something a little more personal to the group than he had first anticipated.

"You deserve an explanation," said Carson, taking a somewhat happy swig of Bubbly before turning on what Charlie presumed to be a dramatic storyteller voice.

"Before the Chosen Nine, before April 20th, before the Great Burning, there were superpowered people protecting us. They're commonly referred to among the elite as the Sacred Three. Unlike our powers, their powers were the result of a man named Dr. Daniel Middleton, who often experimented with dangerous elements. Their names are Josh, Zach, and Jack, but for their safety, they go under the codenames Jawsh, Pokay, and Manifold respectively. Their abilities aren't, how do I put this, battle oriented as ours. I'm not even sure their exact powers, but they are virtually undetectable. Currently, Zach and Jack are out working in another kingdom, but Josh disappeared off the map completely about a month ago after an attack from a man named Dr. Antvenom. We thought he was dead..."

"But tonight, you learned he was safe!" finished Charlie, a gleam of excitement in his eyes.

Carson smiled and nodded, before standing up straight and relaxing his shoulders. He winked at Charlie before going off to tell Cooper to get his skateboard out of the common room.

Out of the corner of his eye in the living room area, Charlie caught Wilbur and Madi setting up speakers and instruments.

"WOO! Karaoke night!" yelled Ted, which caused cheers from everyone else.

After a couple more Bubblys and Travis showing off some of Izzy's new tricks, they were finally ready to start the karaoke night.

Wilbur was on the guitar, and he gave a sly smile at Charlie.

"Charlie! Why don't you start us off tonight?" he said, laughing a little. Charlie flushed red, shrugging and nodding.

"I'm not a good singer, but why not?" he said happily, walking up the microphone that Madi had just set up.

The entire group erupted into cheers, and Charlie heard a couple Bubbly bottles opening up.

"Are there any songs you know all the words too?" asked Wilbur, looking at Charlie with an encouraging look.

Charlie leaned over and whispered something in Wilbur's ears. Wilbur gave a laugh.

"You seem like the kind of person who'd like this song!"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, nothing! Just excited you ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be!"

The music began blaring, and Wilbur began rocking it on the guitar. Charlie leaned into the microphone, and confidently began to sing. He felt a connection with these people that he'd never felt anywhere else. Something about this place and this group made all his insecurities flush out of him. He wanted to stay here forever.

"You would not believe your eyes

If ten million fireflies

Lit up the world as I fell asleep...."


	6. Until The Sun Comes Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlie learns about the Sacred Three, and everyone has a karaoke party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The date that this chapter is being written, April 16 2020, Carson appeared on ItsAsaii's livestream on Twitch!!  
> I found out because I was watching Wilbur's stream and Wilbur raided Asaii, I nearly had a happy heart attack when I heard Carson's voice. Very happy to see the absolute king feeling a little bit better <3
> 
> Also, I watched Cooper's acnh twitch stream today and he interacted with me multiple times and said goodbye when I had to leave, I love him!!
> 
> Anyways enjoy the chapter!! I'm sorry it's so short, I wanted some fluff because things were getting serious + I needed to establish the Sacred Three :)

Charlie felt like it was within the blink of eye that the mood of the house changed from warm and fuzzy to overjoyous and celebratory. Ted was standing at the kitchen island, pouring everyone Bubbly. Noah and Schlatt weren't back yet, but Charlie had the feeling that Noah would be dramatically be the only one drinking mead in the corner. 

Bubbly wasn't as high priced as mead, but Charlie hadn't had the opportunity to drink it yet. His parents had always advised him to drink water, telling him that the Bubbly would kill him. As he got older, he saw it was a cover-up of sorts for the fact they couldn't afford it.

He nervously stood next to Connor, eyeing the Bubbly as if he thought there was poison in it. He eyed a glass bottle full of a light orange looking liquid labeled " _Peachy Punch"_ and a yellow one labeled _"Banana Blast"_. He wondered if they made a watermelon flavor, that's always been his favorite.

He suddenly felt a tap on his shoulder a moment later, and he turned around to see Carson himself standing there. In his hands, a bottle of red Bubbly entitled " _Watermelon Wonder"_. Charlie felt his jaw drop, wondering how he knew that.

"It's my power, reading minds, remember?" answered Carson aloud, a cheeky grin on his face. Charlie allowed himself to laugh, taking the bottle from Carson's hands. He felt the tension in his shoulders leave him immediately.

"Thanks. I'm Charlie," he said, extending his hand nervously. The two pairs of eyes nestled behind very similar pairs of glasses met each other, exchanging a shared feeling of mutual respect.

"Carson King," said the First, taking Charlie's hand and shaking it. Carson's face showed a lot more wisdom than Charlie thought a twenty year old's face should.

"I'm guessing you're a little bit confused? I didn't need to read your mind for that one, I'd be confused too. Everything would probably be a lot easier without the whole Josh thing," said the tall boy gently.

"If you're comfortable with it, could you explain it to me? I don't need all the details or anything, just enough to understand the situation," asked Charlie, not wanting to pry. Obviously, it was something a little more personal to the group than he had first anticipated.

"You deserve an explanation," said Carson, taking a somewhat happy swig of Bubbly before turning on what Charlie presumed to be a dramatic storyteller voice.

"Before the Chosen Nine, before April 20th, before the Great Burning, there were superpowered people protecting us. They're commonly referred to among the elite as the Sacred Three. Unlike our powers, their powers were the result of a man named Dr. Daniel Middleton, who often experimented with dangerous elements. Their names are Josh, Zach, and Jack, but for their safety, they go under the codenames Jawsh, Pokay, and Manifold respectively. Their abilities aren't, how do I put this, _battle oriented_ as ours. I'm not even sure their exact powers, but they are virtually undetectable. Currently, Zach and Jack are out working in another kingdom, but Josh disappeared off the map completely about a month ago after an attack from a man named Dr. Antvenom. We thought he was dead..."

"But tonight, you learned he was safe!" finished Charlie, a gleam of excitement in his eyes.

Carson smiled and nodded, before standing up straight and relaxing his shoulders. He winked at Charlie before going off to tell Cooper to get his skateboard out of the common room.

Out of the corner of his eye in the living room area, Charlie caught Wilbur and Madi setting up speakers and instruments.

"WOO! Karaoke night!" yelled Ted, which caused cheers from everyone else.

After a couple more Bubblys and Travis showing off some of Izzy's new tricks, they were finally ready to start the karaoke night.

Wilbur was on the guitar, and he gave a sly smile at Charlie.

"Charlie! Why don't you start us off tonight?" he said, laughing a little. Charlie flushed red, shrugging and nodding.

"I'm not a good singer, but why not?" he said happily, walking up the microphone that Madi had just set up.

The entire group erupted into cheers, and Charlie heard a couple Bubbly bottles opening up.

"Are there any songs you know all the words too?" asked Wilbur, looking at Charlie with an encouraging look.

Charlie leaned over and whispered something in Wilbur's ears. Wilbur gave a laugh.

"You seem like the kind of person who'd like this song!"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, nothing! Just excited you ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be!"

The music began blaring, and Wilbur began rocking it on the guitar. Charlie leaned into the microphone, and confidently began to sing. He felt a connection with these people that he'd never felt anywhere else. Something about this place and this group made all his insecurities flush out of him. He wanted to stay here forever.

_"You would not believe your eyes_

_If ten million fireflies_

_Lit up the world as I fell asleep...."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully you guys saw the happy note at the start of this chapter!!
> 
> Make sure you are all hydrating and eating correctly!!


	7. Where I End and You Begin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is much deeper trouble brewing in the kingdom of Coruscent than bandits or pranksters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welcome to another exciting chapter of worldbuilding!!
> 
> i've been wanting to write this chapter since i came up with this au, so i hope you enjoy it! <3

King Pete "Voiceover" Accetturo was a kind, thoughtful, and selfless ruler who had been in charge since he was 16 years old. In his time of ruling, the Coruscent Kingdom flourished in technology, culture, agriculture, and arts while the economy had been restored after a deep dive during his father, King Joseph's rule.

King Pete was one of those kings who never spent much time locked up in his castle, preferring to walk around the towns and marketplaces, greeting children and helping strangers. He took charge when his father went corrupt, and led them out of a very dark time.

He also got them through a seperate dark time several years ago, known in the history books as the Great Burning. An anonymous figure in all black donning the crest of the House of Antvenom lit fire to Coruscent's capital city, Felicitas. Hundreds were dead and thousands were physically injured, but almost everyone in Felicitas was emotionally hurt.

From the rubble of the Great Burning, came the group the King founded called DAYBREAK: it was made of six people who the king knew would give their life to protect their country, including the king's children: twin sons and a younger daughter.

He felt bad that he forced his children to go through such a thing so young; his twins had just graduated from combat school and he had to pull his daughter out early for extreme, elite training. He had full, wholesome faith his children were the most loyal that this kingdom had to offer.

After enrolling his own three children for the program, he put up auditions at the children's combat academy for those who wished to pour their blood for this country, protect its people, and show the truest possible loyalty to the king.

There were many, many auditions, and almost all of them were 'horseshit' according to Eret. Apparently that was a term this next generation was using to describe things that were awful. If that was true, then Eret would be correct.

He didn't like it, but he knew this group had to be made up of children and teenagers. The enemies would suspect their strongest soldiers, most experienced warriors, and most highly-proclaimed detectives. They wouldn't suspect children swooping around in the woods.

The ones who would eventually get picked stuck out like a sore thumb, an aura of someone who would train and perform with the dignity of their ancestors and bring the kingdom pride. He wished it was adult warriors that were trying out, but he was running out of options that didn't have major drawbacks.

It's original intention was to seek out anyone who committed or threatened mass harm and have them brought to Felicitas for trial. King Pete gave his complete trust in the group, as he couldn't oversee it and run the entire kingdom at the same time.

DAYBREAK knew more than where the villains were hiding, but rather secrets that could cause the entire kingdom to crumble. The kind you took to your grave unless you had absolutely no choice. This is what made them so dangerous, some said.

The first thing that the group changed once Pete left DAYBREAK in their hands was the objective: to eliminate all targets instead of bringing them to trial. Though met with strong objection from two of the members, they decided it was for the best.

DAYBREAK successfully operated in secret for a couple years, saving thousands and thousands of lives. Eventually though, it was no longer the best trained soldiers in the kingdom fighting against normal humans, as opposed to superpowered ones. They weren't quite up to the task, and the group took an oath before disbanding.

The disbanding lead to the rise of the Sacred Three, who before this were only used on the most top secret spy missions. The only issue was the Sacred Three were trained in spying, not combat. Of course, they could fight, but not to the ability to take down super-powered human beings.

Then, one fateful April 20th, the Miracle happened, and the universe granted Coruscent super powered heroes to help them fight back against the treachery that was the rising threat of the House of Antvenom.

The rest is history, except it's not written yet.  
  


* * *

Prince Techno walked back and forth through the throne room, pacing and thinking because that's all he had left in him. He needed to think, and he needed to do it quickly. His father, King Pete, had fallen gravely ill and they weren't sure what caused it yet.

It was deathly early, almost 4:00 in the morning. The stress of his father's health and the future of his country were too much to let him have a good night's rest of sleep for once. With the spike in bandit raids and reports of people disappearing, this was awful timing.

"Think, Techno, think," he scorned himself, desperate to go back to his time at Roastanaqui School of Combat, where everyone went by silly names and didn't fight each other over blood in soil: rather, they fought to improve themselves and have fun. He wished he could go back to being Technoblade, the champion of his graduation year. Now, he just went by Techno.

_ Technoblade. _ Something about the voice called to him, as if in another world, that had been his name that he had stuck with for the rest of his life. He often wondered where his future would bring him if his uncontrollable birthright didn't restrict him like a boa constrictor.

"Techno," he heard another voice say, and he nearly jumped out of his skin. His thick armor hid all signs that he had shown fear, just the way he liked it. He turned to face his twin brother Eret, having to look down a bit. They looked completely different, and Techno stood almost a half a foot above him. Rumors went around during their childhood that Eret wasn't related to them at all, but they had never had any evidence that Techno had heard of.

"Eret, what the  _ hell  _ are we going to do about this? If Father dies-"

"Then you become king, and you will lead this kingdom into a remorseful and grateful state for them to evolve from," he answered almost dryly, a sour taste left in Techno's mouth. Techno, being the eldest twin and scoring higher on the SPUR Test & DRAWL Test, would be the one to take the throne if Pete passed away. Eret hadn’t taken a nickname at the Academy, thinking it would solidify his place in history. Techno remembered how estatic and easygoing Eret was back then; he missed it dearly.

"This is no time for your smug mouth, Eret. I know you are disappointed you are not king, and that makes me doubt your loyalty a little," remarked Techno, seeing anger flash in Eret's eyes.

"How dare you! We both know that both of our loyalties to this throne run deeper in our veins than our blood does. Our sister? A wild card, but we can control her. We will do this together, even if you are technically in charge!" shouted Eret, his hand moving ever so slightly towards the sword on his belt.

Suddenly, the doors to the throne room swung open, and in walked two knights in complete armour made of dureonley that was accented with gold and emerald. One was taller than the other, but they were both clearly strong.

"Head Sheriff and Second Sheriff in Command. How lovely to see you," rasped Eret, which caused Techno to roll his eyes.

"They're probably our best non-powered fighters, Eret. Don't talk to them like trash from another kingdom!" exclaimed Techno, who wanted to punch his brother in the face sometimes.

Their title is sheriff and their armour is a knight's, but these two fight as if they were demigods. They both hold records at Roastanaqui that not even Techno could beat, though he came close.

They removed their helmets to reveal two stunning women. The Head Sheriff stepped forwards, while the Second in Command kept back behind her diagonally. Sheriffs usually bowed their head or showed any kind of general respect for royalty, but these two meant business, which Techno admired.

"Imane, Lily. I trust you've heard of the news about our father, and so I hope you bring good news to us," he addressed them, knowing that they didn't come back from a mission like this without at least a scrap of good news.

Imane and Lily, codenames Pokimane and Pichu, were legends in the battle community. Despite hailing from a small and poor village in the kingdom called Offlinia, they managed to make their way to the top. They both had more won fights under their belts than Techno could keep track of, and they did it with precision and accuracy. They both had their own towers named after them at Roastanaqui and there were heavy rumors of a memorial being built in their honor.

It wasn't all sunshine and sparkles for them though. Techno was one of the few people who knew about their rough childhood experience, orphans who's adopted mother forced them to begin training at age 4. They weren't biological sisters, but they were raised together and went through more pain together than Techno's admittedly pampered ass could comprehend.

"Only three pieces of good news, but they are all monstrumental, so I'd say yes," replied Imane, who had become Head Sheriff after narrowly defeating Lily in a battle when they tied for highest scores on the MADT Test and REAS Exam. It was a shock that Imane won, when people noted Lily was a better fighter. People started making claims that Lily's weapons or armour were tampered with, but she had the media silence them. Techno never knew why, but Lily liked being second and Imane seemed to enjoy the spotlight.

"Oh, that is splendid news!" exclaimed Techno, finally feeling a small feeling of rejoice for the first time in the last 14 hours.

"The first is that we have managed to catch one member of the Dream Team. Sapnap. He's currently being treated at St. Paulina's Criminal Medic Ward by a team lead by Dr. Mason Underscore, after an  _ incident _ ," she said, shooting a look at Lily that read a perfect balance of seriousness and comedy.

"Incident?" questioned Techno, eyeing Lily.

"I forgot for a moment we were supposed to keep him alive. I swung my sword at a piercing 30-D angle and almost killed him. My bad," admitted Lily, the words not matching her voice. It reminded Techno of how the deep voice didn't match the innocent looking Schlatt. She sounded sincere and a rare red of embarrassment scorched her gorgeously tanned cheeks.

"As long as he isn't dead!" joked Techno, before remembering that they wouldn't be able to do their usual witty banter in such a dark environment and depressing situation. The silence stung him like needles, before he waved Imane on to continue.

"Next, the supposed Tenth has successfully made it to the Academy alive and healthy. Carson sent a message via pigeon this morning. I wouldn't get hyped until he's been evaluated, but Carson mentioned that he might have nature based abilities," rattled off Imane, as if she was giving the answer to a boring history question in advanced college schooling. Nobody in the room had attended it, their physical abilities much too valued.

"I have my doubts about him. The Chosen Nine were founded almost a year ago, why now?" interjected Eret, his arms crossed but his eyes full of curiosity.

"It took Connor almost three months longer than Madi to discover his powers. Maybe the Tenth just had extreme power setback or oppression," responded Techno accurately. If they were younger, he would've yelled ' _ Ha, in your face!'  _ at his shorter twin. 

"The last piece of news is going to come as a complete shock. We thought it was fake news at first," said Lily, her eyes completely stoned over and serious, but Techno could see the wall of hurt built up behind them.

"Josh is alive," said Imane, allowing herself to smile. Eret spit out his drink in shock, and Techno gave a great dramatic gasp like the main character in a bad drama play.

"Josh? But I thought Hank killed him, it's been-"

"Three months. Josh contacted the Chosen Nine via the Contact Orb just a couple of hours ago, between 11:00 and 12:00. He's been in some sort of cell or cage, and looked in awful shape. The connection was low-quality and lasted less than a minute, but he was very much alive," said Imane, the rare smile still gracing her face. Those two barely knew each other as people, but they had worked together so long that there was a bond there despite a lack of actual talking.

"It might be a sign," said Eret, continuing to take a drink of his glass like this conversation didn't interest him.

"Eret, we both know the Prophecy isn't set to come true for hundreds of years at least," retorted Techno, but he was almost too joyous to be mad.

"Contact Zach and Jack. We must hold a Sacred Three meeting here at the castle at once!"

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay!! that was a lot of new characters, events, and things at once, so i'm going to let this chapter simmer for a day or two before another update.
> 
> please give me any and all thoughts you have!! i will try my very best to answer all of them as accurately as possible without giving spoilers for future chapters!!
> 
> stay hydrated !


	8. Take My Hand, I Won't Let You Fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Josh finally breaks out of his cell and makes it back to surface. There he meets two kind teenage strangers, whom his gut tells him to trust despite his usual judgement.

Josh stared at his bodyguard, who was knocked out on the floor. He was outside his cell for the first time in a 1/4 of a year, grasping the key to his cell tightly. He had been waiting three long months to punch Gregory and get out of here. He suddenly wondered who Gregory was, if he had a spouse or children.

He paused, shaking his head. He couldn't let himself get distracted now. He sprinted down the hallway, his shoes silently slapping against the cobblestone floors as he ran. Despite not running for months, his speed and form looked as if he had been training like a professional athlete. 

He reached an iron door at the end of a hallway, sealed shut with a large padlock. He took the rack of keys he had stolen from Gregory's belt out of his pocket, and picked out the largest key. He slid it carefully into the keyhole until he heard a click, and then forcefully turned it.

The padlock popped open, and Josh carefully cracked the door open to peer inside. Another long hallway, with two men standing at the end of it, having a conversation. He couldn't help but feel a smile creep on his face: he was back in the game.

Josh's main ability was being able to hear people's conversations from any distances, as long as he could see them. He was often compared to Carson, but Carson's mind reading ability was limited to short range. He pressed his left middle finger against his left ear, concentrating on the two men without blinking. Suddenly, he could hear them speaking as if he was standing right behind them.

"The doctor said he wants to get spies inside the government and see how much information he get on the Chosen Nine. He's thinking about planting a spy inside the Academy itself," said the first man, smoking a pipe.

"That's basically impossible. How do you get a spy inside the Academy?" questioned the second man, much shorter.

"Neither of us are that high up in the rankings to find out, and you know that. I heard a guy from Sector 7 say he had already gotten a spy in there!"

"I call horseshit!"

"With the doctor, who knows. We all thought everything else he's done was impossible too,"

"I guess you're right. Should we be reporting back now?"

"Yeah, it's almost 10:00! Shit!"

"You know the boss will k-"

He watched as the guards walked around the corner, their conversation stopping as soon as Josh couldn't see them anymore. After a minute more of waiting to see if someone walked by, he slipped through the iron door, and made a dash down the hallway. He kept the same perfect form and acceleration, but he felt his knees beginning to ache, not used to exercise or heavy use. 

He made it to a dead end with two doors, one made of wood and the other made of more iron. He was considering going through the wooden door, before something above him caught his eyes.

It was a porthole on the ceiling, made of wood but enforced by a padlock. There was no clear way up there, so Josh knew that was the exit. He quickly scanned the top of the walls, seeing a loose pipe nearby the porthole on the opposing wall.

He ran up to the corner, jumping up onto the corner and pushing off in the opposite corner like a spring. He flew backwards through the air, and grabbed the loose ceiling pipe with right hand while grabbing the inside edge of the porthole with his left. 

He steadied himself, putting his feet on top of the small ledge above the door for extra support. He carefully took his hand off the pipe, reaching for the set of keys in his pocket. He studied the padlock hole closely, noticing a distinct use of the material dureonley. It was similar to iron and other hard metals, but it was impossible to burn through it with heat or fire.

He pulled the set of keys up to his face, studying each one carefully, looking at what material they were made of. He breathed in, and held it there.

_ Iron, iron, stone, wood, stone, quartz, iron, dureonley! _

He gave a silent cheer inside his head as he identified the correct key, shoving it into the padlock. He probably didn't have any time to give himself satisfaction. He let out his breath, smooth but shaky.

He used his free hand to open the porthole, then leaned back to grab the other end of the loose pipe. He began swinging his body like an acrobat, trying to get momentum. He squeezed his legs together and threw his body upwards through the porthole.

He went up through it feet first, soaring through the air, almost hitting his head. He could've sworn that time slowed time as he made it through.

He landed abruptly on the wet soil of the forest, smacking against the ground like a child's rag doll that their sibling threw across the room. He immediately scrambled to his feet, shut the porthole, and took a sharp inhale.

He noticed a large boulder-like rock, and immediately began to push it towards the porthole. He underestimated how much it weighed, and felt the sweat breaking out faster as he pushed it against the dirt.

He heard a noise that sounded like scraping as he eventually managed to shove the large rock over the porthole, hurriedly wiping the sweat off his forehead. He tried to itch his leg, noticing a large gash on the back of his leg from fighting Gregory.

"Shit," he murmured, grabbing a thick vine and yanking it off the tree. It broke easily, much more easily than Josh had previously expected. He tied the vine around his injury as an atrocious makeshift bandage. 

He sat down, putting his back against the rock, allowing himself to finally stop and breathe. The air up here was so fresh and natural, unlike the muggy air down in the doctor's stupid prison basement. He felt his lungs heaving harder than when he was running or fighting, desperate to get the fresh air into his lungs.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of horses about 20 feet behind him. He peered around the rock, seeing three men on horses. One of them was obviously the leader, buff and tall. The other were smaller, but not apprentice sized.

He pressed his left middle finger against his left ear again, concentrating on the three men, watching the tallest speak. He was taken aback when he heard a woman's voice. Not he was against women being soldiers, but it was highly unusual for the doctor.

"The king's most important prisoner Jawsh escaped. This is the area above his jail cell. Search, and keep searching until you find him," she said. Her voice sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.

"There!" he heard another woman yell, and he realized there was another woman on horseback to the east of him. He had been concentrating too hard on the three over there that he had forgotten to check everywhere else.

He took off as fast as possible, heading for the thickest area of the forest. It'd be harder to run in, but harder for the woman to catch him. He took short, raspy breaths, and felt his throat begin to close. He was dehydrated, hungry, and his gash on his leg was throbbing.

He felt the woman getting closer. He tried to force himself to move faster, but with the leg injury, he was at his physical limit. He pumped his arms, ignoring the thorns pricking them as he ran through the bushes.

He suddenly changed directions at the sound of rushing water, turning and drifting around a tall oak like a chariot on a racing course. He could still hear the horse's hooves, but they seemed to be a little further behind. He wasn't sure how much longer he could run for.

Suddenly, he felt a hand grab the back of his shirt. Before he could say anything, he felt the hand yank him upwards into a tree with such thick leaves you couldn't see the branches. He kicked and moved his arms, grabbing a branch and forcing himself out of the hands grasp.

He landed on both feet on a branch, not daring to move. He heard the approaching sound of the hooves. He stood as still as he could, trying to not make a sound. He was facing the opposite direction of whoever pulled him up, but he would be dead if they made a noise.

After several heart-wrenching seconds, he heard the horse gallup past the tree, and all was silent. Josh broke off a sharp tree branch and whipped around to face his abductors. 

"Who the hell are you guys? What do you want with me?" he hissed, jabbing out the stick. He expected a group of grown men in metal armour with weapons pointed right at him. Dr. Antvenom had taken all of his weapons and protective gear, so he prepared himself to be defeated.   
  
What he saw instead were two teenage boys, weaponless and dressed in dark leather. The one who had pulled him up had dark curly hair, tan skin, freckles, and a concerned look in his eyes as he stood on a nearby branch, one shoulder leaning up against the trunk of the tree. His arms were crossed, and    
  
The other boy sat on a branch higher up in the tree, his legs swinging as they dangled over the edge. He had shaggy dirty blonde hair, fairer skin, and a smaller build. His face was out of view because his head was down as he dug through a double strapped satchel, also called a backpack. Josh could hear him whistling softly.   
  
Josh narrowed his eyes, studying what the boys were wearing. They both wore identical outfits: a short sleeve shirt, a snug fitting vest with a symbol, and cargo pants that reached down to their knees. They also had hiking boots and a utility belt adorned with small blades on the left side and a pocket on right which had a compass, water bottle, and a small machine. Everything was dyed dark grey, except for the black vest and the golden insignia sewn on it.

"You weigh absolutely nothing. Have you eaten in days?" asked the boy who pulled him up, his eyebrows raised so high that they could be in his hairline. He was obviously not impressed with Josh's threats.

"I asked, who the hell are you?" he said again, his chest heaving. He kept his eyes narrowed, and he was ready for attack. He didn’t feel as threatened as before, but he was injured and it would’ve been a 2v1.   
  
“You think you can threaten us with a stick? Dude, that’s a bit sad,” said the closer boy before laughing and rolled his eyes in a slightly mocking way, crossing his arms across his chest. 

"Nic, no need to taunt him. Just answer him," said the boy digging through the backpack calmly with a bit of annoyance, as if this was a usual occurrence.

"Put your little stick down. We're not here to hurt you buddy. We’re spies for the Head Sheriff and we're supposed to be looking for the Dream Team," answered the closer boy. Josh studied the gold emblem on the vest again and realized it was the Justice Symbol, the Sheriff’s sign.

The Head Sheriff was appointed by the King himself, in charge of taking care of the most major crimes and hunting down criminals that are wanted kingdom-wide. The Dream Team were definitely wanted kingdom wide, but Josh narrowed his eyes again.

"Why are you looking here? The Dream Team famously operates in the Bandit's Forest," said Josh, raising his stick again.

"The Head Sheriff ordered a raid on Bandit's Forest yesterday evening, but it seems the news reached them before we did. Their hideout was completely abandoned. We thought we would come this way," he replied dryly, as if it was obvious before taking out his water bottle and taking a sip.

"C-could I have a sip of that? I haven't had something to drink in days," asked Josh nervously. He didn't want to trust them, and his better judgement would usually agree; except something in his gut was telling him that they weren't a threat.

The criss-cross boy nodded and handed over the bottle. Josh took a giant swig of it, and felt his throat be quenched. The water was fresh and clean, probably spring or creek water. It was cold in the mouth, freshly bottled.

He kept himself from drinking it all, and handed it back over to the boy, who put it back inside his brown backpack. He swallowed everything, and threw the stick down onto the ground. He sat down on the branch, leaning against the tree, his chest still breathing.

"So why was the angry horse woman chasing you?" questioned the guy with the backpack, finally looking up. Josh observed a young face with blue-grey eyes and a black eye.

"I'm referred to as Jawsh, spelt j-a-w-s-h. It's a little weird, but there's already a Josh in Dr.Mi- I mean my superior officer's network. I've been a prisoner for the past three months, and I just got my escape plan to work," he said, pausing every few words to deeply inhale, still exhausted.   
  
“Awesome. I’ve never been captured, so I’ve never gotten to perform an escape like that,” said the backpack boy, a hint of admiration and jealousy in his voice.   
  
“It’s not something to be jealous of, or something you should want to do,” quipped Josh. He felt his hand go to touch the injury on his leg, feeling the thick uncomfortable vine.

"I think it sounds cool… By the way, do you want a proper bandage instead of a literal vine?" asked the backpack boy. As Josh shakily nodded, he couldn’t help but realize how lucky he was to run into these two instead of an enemy.

"Front pocket," the boy simply stated as he tossed him the backpack from above. Josh barely caught it, grabbing it by one of the straps.. He unzipped the front pocket and saw bandages and Dr. Maron's famous ointment.

"Thank you so much," he said, slowly unwrapping the vine from his leg. The matted blood covered the injury, and Josh managed to get it off with a large leaf. He began taking out the medical supplies.

"Yeah, it was nothing," he responded, giving a little wink and smile.   
  
"You never told me who you were though," he added, wincing as he unwrapped the vine bandage. The boy next to him answered.

"My name is Nicolas, codename Junky. This is my brother Toby, but he goes by the codename Tubbo."

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for not doing a chapter yesterday!
> 
> Please let me know how you felt about this chapter, I'm very new to writing action scenes, but it's my longest chapter thus far!


	9. My Soul Rests Where You Don't

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> domestic chosen nine stuff

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "red, it's been three months! why are you updating this now?"
> 
> i'm really really sorry about my sudden disappearance. giant writer's block and i wanted to take a break. hopefully this makes up for it.

Charlie awoke inside the softest bed he had ever slept in. He was under more blankets now than he and his sisters had owned back at Slimecicle Farms. The linen of the sheets was clearly hand woven by experts. He almost forgot where he was for a moment. 

He lifted his head off of the pillow and meekly rubbed his eyes. Everything was fuzzy, so he fumbled around for his glasses. He eventually managed to find the nightstand where his glasses were folded nicely. He slid them on and the room became clear. 

Every piece of furniture looked fancy and untouched. For a guest bedroom, there seemed to be no guests coming through. A large dresser, desk, table, and wardrobe lined the walls of the room, each made of finely carved dark oak wood. 

He suddenly heard the light rapping of knuckles on his bedroom door. It was at least a foot taller than him, to go with the unnaturally high walls and ceilings in every room. It didn't surprise him though, because the people who designed it were Carson and Ted, who were 6'3 and 6'4 respectively.

"Come in!" called out Charlie, jumping out of bed to make it seem like he hadn't woken up just minutes earlier. Did they think he was a lazy bum who slept in late all the time? How early did they usually get up? What time was it anyway? He realized the guest bedroom was missing a clock.

Madi walked in, smiling with her head held high. She was the Eighth of the Chosen Nine, along with the only female member. She was often overlooked by society and press members, but he often heard stories saying she was one of the strongest members.

"Hey Charlie! I hope you had fun last night. I washed your wet clothes for you," said Madi, and only then Charlie noticed his cleaned, folded clothes in her arms. He smiled, staring at them with delight.

"Thank you so much! I can't remember the last time these clothes looked this clean! Our washing machine back home didn't work very well-" he began while taking the clothes from Madi's arms, before stopping himself.

"I'm sorry. I'm just not super accustomed to life where there's always food and everything works, I-" he added frantically.

"Hey, calm down! There's no need to apologize!" said Madi, grabbing his shoulders and speaking in a calming tone. She had a way of making you feel more relaxed. Charlie couldn't tell if those were her powers or if that was just something she was good at doing.

"I didn't come from a very wealthy family either. They were disappointed when I wanted to do music because it wasn't a very stable career, you know? Thankfully, Wilbur discovered me after he had hit a wave of success and let me tour with me. That's when... you know. I know it's scary, but you'll fit in just fine," explained Madi, slowly letting go of Charlie's shoulders.

He nodded, and they seemed to mutually understand that he was a little speechless. He had never really had many friends besides his close school friends, and he felt broken when they all went off to warrior school together while Charlie had to stay back. He had told them that it didn't matter he was staying and that they'd stay close anyways, but Condi was the only one he got to see a lot of.

"Last night was a big night, so some of them are still sleeping. Ted is making breakfast right now for those who are awake if you want to come join us!" exclaimed Madi happily as she walked out the door to Charlie's temporary bedroom, shutting the door behind her.

Charlie quickly got dressed as fast as he could. He slipped off the clothes he had borrowed the night before from Connor, and put on his usual outfit. A loose, dark green collared shirt with brown pants and a black belt with his family's insignia on it. He also wore his lucky bracelet from Condi and a pair of hardcore outdoor boots called Himberlands. 

The castle was six stories tall, seven including the basement. The guest bedroom was on the third floor, along with Wilbur, Madi, and Connor's rooms. He wasn't used to stairs in general, forget this many, but it was good exercise for him.

When he made it down the stairs, he saw three other people. Ted in the kitchen and Wilbur talking to Travis in the living room. The boys in the living room were sitting on couches facing opposite each other, the coffee table between the couches loaded with pancakes, waffles, and eggs.

"Charlie! Good morning, how'd you sleep?" asked Ted, his loud voice booming as he saw the younger boy come down the stairs. His apron read "Kiss The Chef" but somebody had written "Do Not" above it in Sharpie in barely legible handwriting.

"I slept better than I have a long time, that's for sure!" exclaimed Charlie, sitting down one of the stools by the kitchen island. He felt so much more relaxed around everyone after the party last night. He felt that most of them liked him, though the two who didn't join in on the festivities he wasn't so sure of.

"I'm jealous you get the guest bedroom. Probably the softest bed in the house after Connor's," commented Ted, who was concentrated on making bacon. Spices and other ingredients flew through the air courtesy of Ted's powers; he almost dropped the salt shaker but otherwise his reflexes were dead on. It was mesmerising to watch.

"I think my bed is the softest! I'm the only one who brought their mattress with me," interjected Wilbur from the couch after swallowing a mouthful of waffle. He brushed a bit of syrup off his chin with his sleeve.

"Mine is like sleeping on rocks," added Travis.

"Why don't you get a new one then?"

"That's a lot of work man. I sleep really heavily anyways!"

"I can tell by the snoring. Your room is like, the one below mine!"

"At least you live a floor above him. My room is right next to his!" joked Ted, walking over with a plate of the most delicious looking bacon Charlie had ever seen. Everyone exploded into laughter, and Charlie smiled. He felt at home with all of them, like nothing could possibly go wrong in the world.

Suddenly, Schlatt burst through the door, his left eye and clothing stained in thick scarlet blood. His face couldn't seem to pick one emotion to display, like a warped version of what you thought emotion looked like on someone as powerful as him. His voice was thick with disappointment, like it was his fault.

"They took Noah."


	10. The Northern Spirit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new apprentice. An old friend. The same wise charmer.

Zaraina was a northeastern sector of the kingdom, large and known for its distinctive speaking pattern. It's been known to produce many talented people, including Wilbur Soot. Most of those talented people become famous and well-known, others just gain recognition within their cities or towns. One is known by almost all of the citizens of the kingdom, yet his identity is a hidden secret.

The Northern Spirit is said to be the connector between worlds, the one who keeps nature flowing in its cycle. Some believe in them, most think they are simply a legend. The Northern Spirit was real all right, and his name is Phil Watson.

Philza was his code name, short for Phil of Zaraina. The role of the Northern Spirit was passed from master to apprentice, since the founding of Zaraina hundreds of years ago. Before the Chosen Nine, his role had been a lot bigger, often in assisting DAYBREAK and Sacred Three during absolute emergencies.

He "retired" after the Chosen Nine to train an apprentice. The boy, who came from a prestigious family, was not very prestigious at all. The rest of the boy's siblings were quite rude, arrogant, and stuck-up, so Phil was very upset when he realized he had to choose one of the children to take under his wings.

One stood out to him though; the one who seemed to ignore his family's rules. This included refusing to wear the family crest at all times, speaking when not being spoke to, exploring the woods, and countless others. Phil saw a passion in this one that he did not see in the others.

This boy's name was Tommy Innit. He was a pain in the ass to teach, sure, but he found himself genuinely enjoying the boy's company more than he expected. A city was almost blown up once, but they don't talk about that. They also don't talk about the time Tommy used the magic he learned to prank the city's mayor.

He and Tommy lived in a forest cottage of sorts if you consider a cottage to come with a secret room to practice and develop advancements in nature-related charm. Phil liked to use the word charm because he felt the word "magic" was a bit silly and uncharacteristic to what the Northern Spirit's work was.

Besides, magic was something you inherited or gained. Charm is teachable, though it can only be mastered by those of Coruscentian descent who have a deep connection with the kind of charm they were studying.

He often referred to magic when it came to the manipulation or control of something. Charm was more communicating and assisting. Though, he did not blame those who got them mixed up, because both can only be done by those gifted with the ability. It was also not covered in public education.

The world seemed much more peaceful in the past few years than it had in a long time. Phil didn't know whether it had to do with the Chosen Nine, King Pete, or something else entirely, but he did know that all good things must come to an end; or at least have a negative phase.

One foggy night, Phil and Tommy were walking back to the cottage from collecting food from their garden about a quarter-mile away. Phil had Tommy carry the basket, which was full of ripe tomatoes.

"Why am I the one carrying the tomatoes?" complained Tommy lightheartedly, elbowing his teacher lightly, causing Phil to slip a laugh.

"Weren't you telling me this morning you were a big strong man? You should prove it," joked Phil, watching his apprentice's jaw drop with mock offense. He watched as Tommy straightened his back and lowered his voice a little.

"Of course I'm a man, you moron-"

Phil raised an eyebrow and tried his best not to crack a smile. Tommy's cheeks flushed and eyes widened with embarrassment as he laughed.

"Sorry, sorry. You, Phil, are not a moron."

"I sure hope I'm not," he said, ruffling Tommy's hair. They were approaching the woodland home, and Tommy began rambling about something he and his friend had talked about earlier.

Phil nodded, but he thought he saw something of an unusual color through the fog. A purple and yellow-colored figure was barely visible through the fog. The man in green felt his breath catch in this throat. Those were the king's colours; he knew there was only bad news ahead of him.

He instinctively threw his arm out in front of Tommy, as a form of protection and a silent way of telling him to stop walking. He looked at his apprentice and held his fingers up to his lifts softly. He watched Tommy nod.

The Northern Spirit walked towards the figure, his hand resting on the sword on his belt as he approached the figure. He began to slowly see more and more clear features. Blonde hair, pale skin, and shorter stature. Something felt familiar, but it didn't click until she spoke.

"Phil!" excitedly exclaimed the voice of his old schoolmate.

"Niki! How lovely to see you!" said Phil, letting his hands slip off his sword to embrace the commander in a tight hug. He hadn't seen her since she got promoted to go work in Caedes, the battle capital of the Coruscent Kingdom.

Niki, known as Nihachu, was an extremely intelligent battle strategist who was very much feared by other kingdoms. She was the first female head battle commander that Caedes had ever had, and Phil couldn't be more proud of her.

"Tommy! It's alright, you can come over! There's someone here I'd like you to meet!" yelled Phil through the fog to his apprentice who was still waiting in the fog.

Niki giggled as Tommy came sprinting over, his blonde hair bouncing and his eyes gleaming with excitement. He gave a gleeful smile as he saw Niki, and Phil could just tell he was holding back a joke.

"Tommy, this is Commander Nihachu, but you can call her Niki. She's a good friend of mine, and she works in Caedes. Niki, this is Tommy, the youngest of the Innit family and my new apprentice!" explained as the two exchanged a hearty handshake.

"Phil's told me a lot about you! It's a pleasure to meet you! I have a lot of questions to ask you!" began Tommy, Phil knowing the onslaught of questions that were about to come Niki's way.

"I'd love to answer your questions, but I have to speak to Phil about something really quick alone," said Niki sweetly.

"Can you run inside and wash the tomatoes while Niki and I talk?" asked Phil, in his way that was more telling than asking.

Tommy grunted and muttered something about the unfairness of being young as he walked inside, the basket of fresh fruit gripped tightly in his hands.

"As much as I love seeing you, you never show up unannounced without bad news," quipped Phil. When Niki wanted to visit with good news, she usually wrote a letter ahead of time.

"I was sent here by Techno. We don't have a lot of time," said Niki, fear and pain glazing over her eyes. Phil simply nodded, waiting for her to continue.

"It's Josh. He wasn't killed, just kidnapped. We have received a tip he's escaped though. He was captured by..."

"...Antvenom?" finished Phil, processing all the information.

"We believe he's rising back up to power. There have been tips of spies infiltrating our trust, and the Sacred Three are being reunited. A-and..."

"What? What is it?" asked Phil, his hands shaking a bit.

"King Pete is on his deathbed. Prince Techno will likely have his ceremony shortly," finished Niki, her eyes filling at the brims with tears. The King was the main reason she was able to fulfill the position that she did. Phil nodded, his head hanging low.

"I understand. You can stay the night, and we'll start traveling to the capital in the morning. We should make it there by nightfall tomorrow," said Phil solemnly.

Niki nodded, and she exhaled shakily. She was a strategist, not a soldier. As much as he loved Niki, he wondered why Techno had sent her instead of someone more experienced with the threat of traveling alone. He noticed her shivering and stood up straight again, forcing a warm smile.

"In the meantime, come inside. Tommy and I will cook you some warm dinner."

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "red? did you really add more world building and new characters instead of expanding on the story?"
> 
> yes and i know, i was originally going to write this chapter after continuing josh's storyline more but i've been watching way too much sbi content lately, especially with the dreamsmp war.
> 
> viva la revolution!


	11. Maple Treeway

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Josh strengthens his friendship with his new spy allies and sets course up North.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IF YOU STARTED READING THIS BEFORE 8/20/20:
> 
> i went back and changed some major story elements, so i highly suggest you go back and reread!!
> 
> misfits were replaced with dream team, niall was replaced by eret, altrive + ezra were replaced by tubbo and junky, and the sacred three is now jawsh, pokay, and jack manifold :)
> 
> sorry for disappearing again, i promise i'll get a posting schedule soon o7

Josh woke up in the tree, his eyes extremely heavy and his leg still in pain. It took him a moment to remember that he had actually managed to escape. He sat for a second, taking time to collect what had happened to him the day before.   
  
He sat up, looking around the tree for Junky and Tubbo, but they weren’t there. He felt his heart rate speed up for a moment; had they left him all alone?   
  
His question was answered when he heard Junky’s voice followed by Tubbo’s laugh from the base of the tree. They had just gotten up and out of the tree before him.   
  
He grabbed onto a tree tree branch and hoisted himself up into a standing position, aware of every inch of ache in his body. Sleeping in a tree was extremely uncomfortable, but he would prefer sleeping in a tree for a year than spending another minute back in that dungeon.   
  
The smell of eggs filled his nose and he was suddenly aware of the smoke floating up a couple feet in front of him. He moved carefully towards the trunk of the tree, treating every step like he was on a minefield.   
  
He pressed his body up against the tree, and slid down it like a dysfunctional firepole. He felt his feet hit the ground, and pain on his injured leg. He took a relieved yet shaky breath, before looking at his palms. The rogue, uneven and slightly sharp bark on the tree had left small cuts on his fingers, palm, and wrist along with covering them in dust.   
  
“Good morning sunshine,” quipped Junky tiredly, and Josh turned around to see him and Tubbo sitting next to a tiny campfire. The pair had used a large, thin, flat rock as a frying pan of sorts, and three small eggs sat sizzling.   
  
“How do you like your eggs cooked?” asked Tubbo, who seemed much more awake. The spies both had bags under their eyes, but at least they were smiling and seemed happy.   
  
“Scrambled, I guess?” answered Josh, wiping his hands on his pants.   
  
“Sorry man, I can only cook sunny side up,” exclaimed Tubbo, and a beat of silence hit before he and Junky started laughing. Josh let himself join in, the first time he had laughed in several months.   
  
Josh sat down in the grass next to them, yawning loudly. He wasn’t really sure what to do now that he had escaped. His initial thought was to head straight for the capital to alert Techno and Eret. It seemed logical, they should know that Antvenom was growing stronger.   
  
He bit his lip, thinking he decided, before he remembered what he had heard those two guards at the end of the hallway say as he was escaping.   
  
_ "The doctor said he wants to get spies inside the government and see how much information he gets on the Chosen Nine. He's thinking about planting a spy inside the Academy itself," _   
  


_ "That's basically impossible. How do you get a spy inside the Academy?" _ _  
_ _  
_ _ "Neither of us are that high up in the rankings to find out, and you know that. I heard a guy from Sector 7 say he had already gotten a spy in there!” _ _  
_ _  
_ If those guards were speaking the truth rather than rumors, it was important that he get to the Academy as soon possible to warn them. It wasn’t super far from the capital anyways, and he could just go there straight after.   
  
“Josh! Earth to Josh!” said a voice, breaking into his thoughts. He blinked before bolting up straight, realizing he had completely blocked off his surroundings.   
  
“Do you want your egg or not?” asked Junky, gesturing to in front of where Josh was sitting. He looked down to see an egg on another flat rock with a small hand blade next to it. He was confused for a moment before remembering there weren't plates or silverware out here. The egg was a bit runny, but it was better than nothing.   
  
“Yeah, sorry, I got lost thinking about where I was going to go now that I’ve escaped,” said Josh, using the hand blade to cut the egg.   
  
“You fell asleep super early last night and you had been through enough for one day, so Tubbo and I took turns patrolling and looking for clues that the Dream Team had been nearby. We couldn’t find anything, so we assume they must’ve headed North,” explained Junky.   
  
“North? Towards the capital? That’s just a bigger chance for someone to see or catch them. That’s an idiotic move,” said Josh, furrowing his eyebrows.   
  
“Or a genius one. Nobody thinks they would go there, so if they have connections up there willing to help or hide them, they’d most likely never get caught!” countered Tubbo before licking a bit of egg off his lip.   
  
“I need to go to the Academy, which is just a little bit south of the Capital. If you guys wanted to come, you could easily stay there for a night and replenish yourselves,” offered Josh, knowing the Chosen Nine would welcome any ally of his.   
  
“A chance to meet the Chosen Nine? We’re totally in!” exclaimed Tubbo, his eyes gleaming with excitement and a large smile on his face.   
  
“You didn’t even talk to me before accepting his offer!” said Junky, giving Tubbo a light punch on the soldier. Josh felt his heart drop; would Junky want to go separate ways? He didn’t want to admit in front of teenagers, but he was a bit nervous to travel on his own.   
  
“But yeah, of course we’ll come,” said Junky before laughing. Josh gave a huge sigh of relief, happily finishing his eggs.   
  
"I'll start packing our bag," said Tubbo, wiping his mouth the back of his hand and standing up. He twisted to the left and right to stretch, before walking over to the bag which was inside a nearby bush.  
  
"I have a question for you, you don't have to answer honestly if you don't want to, but..." began Josh, turning to Junky, who was focused on trying to not drop his egg.  
  
"Yeah, go ahead and shoot. I also have a question for you, but you can ask first," responded Junky before giving a small burp. Josh rolled his eyes in mock annoyance before continuing.  
  
"You guys are awfully young. How did sixteen year old brothers get hired as spies for the Sheriff?" asked Josh, hoping that he wasn't crossing any boundaries.  
  
"Since we're the same age and brothers, you probably assumed we were twins. We're not related by blood, but we've been raised together our entire lives. We both have done gymnastics and fighting training since we were little, so by the time we graduated early, we had more experience than some of the twenty year old recruits. Our teacher is close with the Second in Command, and she was impressed with us enough to vouch for our hiring to the Head Sheriff. We started right before our sixteenth birthday about 9 months ago." explained Junky, his voice steady and calm, but also trying to hide pride.  
  
"Wow. I was almost flunking out of school at fifteen. I can't imagine the dedication that must've taken..." said Josh, his voice trailing off. Where could he be now if he had put the effort in when he was younger.  
  
"Can I ask you my question now?" asked Junky, who had finished his egg and was just fiddling with the hand blade.  
  
"Yeah, of course," responded Josh, taking another small bite. He hadn't had anything except slightly rotten or expired meats, so he wanted to savor each bite.  
  
"Are you the Jawsh of the Sacred Three?" asked Junky, leaning forward a bit to see Josh's reaction.  
  
"Dang, you are smart. That's me," said Josh, feeling color flush his cheeks. The Chosen Nine had overshadowed the Sacred Three in the newer generation, so it felt good to be recognised.  
  
"Seriously?! That's amazing! You must have so many stories to tell!" interrupted Tubbo, who had come back over with a completely packed bag.  
  
"I'll tell you guys stories on our way up North, they'll hopefully make our time travelling seem shorter," said Josh, smiling and straightening his posture. He watched Tubbo place his hand flat up against his forehead to block the harsh sunlight as he looked up to see it's position.  
  
"Alright, it's one third till sunhigh, shall we leave then?" asked Tubbo as he adjusted the backpack's straps.  
  
"Sounds good to me, Josh?" said Junky, and Josh felt both pairs of eyes land on him. These two were smart, athletic, and resourceful: they would be great companions.   
  
"Sunhigh it is!" exclaimed Josh, and he smiled as he watched his new allies high five and talk about the best route up North. 


	12. An Evening At Saint's Tavern

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> George seeks out the leader of the Legion, one of the only people that could help get Sapnap back.

Saint’s Tavern was one of the more high end pubs in the Capital, filled to maximum capacity on a busy night. Most notable to the public for its fine pastries and flavorful mead, and most notable to the Legion by what lies in the Tavern’s basement.  
  
The Legion is a group of villains (or vigilantes, if you asked them) who formed during the beginning of King Pete’s rule after he began lowering the crime rates expedentely. The leader of the Legion is often passed father to son, and has operated under the royal family’s nose unnoticed.   
  
This night in particular was chilly but alive, with wind that pricked your bare skin like needles in leather. There wasn’t snow; in fact, there were barely clouds in the sky. Almost every star was visible, and the spectacular half moon shone with great furiosity. A bit cold for a summer night, but the weather around here was often unpredictable.   
  
Inside the tavern, there was nothing but life. Smoke danced through the air as the fireplace crackled and burned, the flames licking the feet of the citizens who sat next to it. Light shone in every corner, bright candles in every chandelier. Almost every table was filled, and a group of drunk men were singing shanties in the corner.   
  
In fact, there was so much action and life in the tavern that nobody watched the door when it swung open just after 2:00 am. Nobody paid attention to the hooded stranger, who walked with confidence yet kept their head down low. If they had been looking, they would have noticed the blood stains on the cloak and the fact he was wearing strange, dark goggle-like glasses. 

Most boots would’ve made a noise against the hardwood floor of the tavern, but this one moved silently. Every step he took was taken in a way to remain unnoticed, blending in by attracting as little attention as possible. His breath was slightly shaky, as if he had been running, but otherwise he was like any other patron.  
  
The man made his way up to the bar, which was located in the back left hand corner of the pub, the farthest possible position from the door. Keeping his hands close to his sides, he weaved through the patrons seamlessly, aware any misstep or wrong glance could expose him. He finally got up to the bar, and hopped into two empty seats on the very end.   
  
The bartender didn’t seem to notice them at first. He whistled softly to himself as he cleaned the inside of a large mead mug. He had rectangular glasses that restly gently at the end of an upturned nose, and shaggy but not unkempt dark brown hair. His apron was black but accented with red, as any employee would be wearing; except this wasn’t any other employee.   
  
“Bad!” whisper-shouted the cloaked man, and the bartender snapped his head up immediately, finally spotting the newcomer. He set the glass down and walked over, biting his lip nervously.   
  
“What in the name of the King are you doing here? You know that-” began Badbayhalo, or Bad for short. The nephew of the former Legion leader, who’s responsibilities had been passed on to his older cousin. He had always preferred running the tavern; he wasn’t a fan of putting his life in danger, but he always put his family first.   
  
“We need to see Skep as soon as possible. Is he here right now?” hissed the goggled man, rapping his knuckles impatiently against the wood of the bartop. He seemed agitated, stressed.   
  
“He’s here, but he’s not going to be happy. Unless it’s an emergency, I suggest you go see-”   
  
“Sapnap got taken by the Royal Guard,” interrupted George, who was obviously trying to keep his voice steady. Bad was good at telling when people were lying; he had to for his job. He relaxed his shoulders, seeing the genuine distress in his comrade’s eyes.   
  
“What? Oh my goodness, what happened?” asked Bad, picking up another glass and pretending to clean it so it wouldn’t seem to the regular patrons that he was no longer doing his job.   
  
“The Head Sheriff declared a raid on our base the day after Sap had gotten injured in the leg from a robbery… There wasn’t anything we could do. He asked us to leave him, to go on ahead without him, to come here,” explained George, who had removed his goggles. There was a slight red imprint on his face from where the goggles had pressed against.   
  
“That was very brave of him. They won’t treat him nicely, you know,” said Bad, biting his lip as he thought of the guards he used to encounter on the weekly. He was glad he was no longer in action.   
  
“That’s why we’re breaking him out,” said George dryly, who was resting his face in his hands.   
  
“You’re joking, right? You’d have to be a Chosen to break in there and make it out alive,” scoffed Bad, pushing his glasses back up onto his nose from his quick but hollow laugh.   
  
“That’s why we’re going to capture a member and force them to break Sap out. Dream and I split up about 20 miles back; I came here, he went to the Academy,” whispered George, his eyes darting back and forth to make sure nobody was listening. The music was so loud though that Bad could barely hear him.   
  
“George…” began Bad, but he got interrupted by another patron asking for a refill. He grabbed the patron’s glass and refilled it, not taking his eyes off of George. This idea that he was proposing was absolutely ludacris.   
  
“This is the only way, Bad. We have to do this,” said George, his voice monotone.   
  
“Do you even know which Chosen you’re capturing? Or what you’re going to do after that?”   
  
“No, but I don’t really see how that matters much.”   
  
“W-What? Don’t see how that matters much? Of all people, you should know how detrimental planning is to the success of the mission.”   
  
“This isn't a normal mission. This is way outside the comfort zone. No amount of planning would do any better here than what we’re doing now.”   
  
“This is the Royal Guard we’re talking about here. One wrong step and-”   
  
“There’s no reason for you or the Legion to worry. If something happens to go wrong, Dr. Antvenom will help us take care of it. That’s part of our deal after all.”   
  
“I wouldn’t trust that guy to come to your aide. Your alliance with him is so new…”   
  
“Bad, you don’t trust half of the Legion at this point. It’s either this or Sapnap stays locked up forever. I know how you feel but this is too important of a mission for us to do anything other than put everything on the fucking line!”   
  
“Language!” hissed Bad quietly, knowing that scolding him for a curse word when this upset wouldn’t do anything.   
  
“One of my best friends has been captured. I’m going to stop at nothing to help get him back. Either Skeppy provides help or he doesn’t. We’re going either way!” finished George.   
  


George was still slumped over with his head in his hands, so he couldn’t see the look on his face, but he could tell from the tone of the assassin’s voice that he was serious. Bad sighed, knowing what he had to do. 

He snapped his fingers three times and whistled, and another bartender walked over. He whispered something into his fellow employee’s ear, whose eyes widened before nodding. The employee took Bad’s spot at the bar, while Bad walked around to where George was sitting.  
  
“If you’re a hundred percent sure that you want to do this, we’ll go see Skep,” said Bad with a sigh, knowing it was the best way to help out his friend.   
  
George suddenly hopped up and threw his arms around Bad’s shoulders, gripping him in a quick but tight embrace.   
  
“Thank you Bad, this means the world to me,” said George, grabbing his goggles off of the bartop.   
“Of course. Anything to save Sapnap, as long as you promise to not get yourself killed.”   
  
The two comrades walked behind the bar and pushed past a tapestry that hung on the back wall that went into a backroom. The tapestry had hung there as long as the tavern had been running. It depicted a woman in armour holding a rich man at swordpoint. The hallway was long and dark but elegant, with a staircase going down at the end of it.   
  
“You know, you could make sure I didn’t die if you came with us!” quipped George.   
  
“I haven’t done field work since I was a teenager!”   
  
“Yeah, but at least think about it, okay?”   
  
“Fine, fine. I’ll _think_ about it. Think being the keyword there!”   
  
  
  
  


  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haha, it's called saints tavern because bad is the saint of games, get it?
> 
> anyways another glimpse into the antagonists of the story!! if you take info from a couple chapters ago and put two and two together, you'll probably understand which chosen got taken...
> 
> i'm gonna try to start posting chapters at least once a week, probably on wednesdays! 
> 
> next chapter will most likely be in charlie's perspective again!! thank you so much for reading <3


	13. Ashes to Ashes, Worries to Worries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of the Schlatt and Noah incident leave tensions inside the Academy high, leaving everyone to struggle for cohesive thoughts.

A few hours had passed since Schlatt had burst through the doors and basically threw himself into their arms. Charlie had purposely chosen to stay out of the way during the whole ordeal, watching everyone while anxiously pacing. 

Schlatt had said “They took Noah”, but he hasn’t said anything since. A nurse had them told that Schlatt would pull through, but that didn’t subside everyone’s doubts. It was very unusual that a Chosen would come out of a fight this badly injured

Madi was helping the nurse, Connor and Cooper had decided to go lay down, and Carson was heading out soon. Everyone else was hanging out in the common room and kitchen, drinking hot drinks and murmuring to one another. Charlie swore he could hear everyone’s heartbeat.

This situation was especially concerning because of what had happened the other night was Josh. Was he able to make it out? Could these people have attacked him too? Was the message even real?

Charlie was sitting on one of the couches nearest the fireplace, a thickly knitted blanket draped lazily over his legs. He was next to Travis, who had his dog Izzy curled up on his lap. Charlie watched the curly hair boy lean forward and mutter some things into the dog’s ear as he pet her.

Carson came out of his room dressed in a more appropriate attire compared to his silk pajamas he had been wearing earlier. Charlie noticed a large change in his demeanor and his appearance from before he had gotten ready to go out.

His hair was now brushed and slicked backwards out of his eyes, and he was wearing glasses that looked a lot less flimsy. He wore an earl grey shirt comparable to a sweater, except it had a large hood attached to the back. He wore black denim pants paired with some new looking steel-toed boots. 

He obviously wanted to avoid a Chosen uniform or guard’s uniform so as to not draw attention to himself. The Capital was full of people who would swarm or mob a Chosen if they saw one, whether it be for positive or negative reasons.

“I’m going to see Prince Techno,” said Carson abruptly, disturbing the room’s silent energy.

“Really? You wanna go straight to him?” said Ted, his tone of voice much softer than usual.

“This is a big deal, I want it reported straight to the top,” answered Carson swiftly. He seemed uneasy.

“You know that King Pete is on his deathbed. The Princes probably have their hands full already,” said Travis, not looking up from Izzy.

“I agree. Maybe you could talk to the Head Sheriff or one of the Commanders,” added Ted.  
“We can’t control the King’s recovery. We can get this under control if we report it now,” said Carson stubbornly.

“We’re not saying you can’t report it, Carson. We’re saying that the Princes are dealing with enough right now, and that you should report it to someone else,” interjected Wilbur, his voice much harsher than usual. 

“It’s not that-” began Carson, but Wilbur cut him off.

“The death of the King, their father, and a sudden transfer of power is an extremely huge deal. It’ll decide the fate of all our country’s citizens for decades to come!”

Carson paused, thought, and sighed heavily. He rubbed his face for a minute before nodding.

“Fine, fine. I’ll talk to the Head Sheriff. Though if she can’t give me the answers or response I need, I’m going straight to the Princes,” he said, trying to keep himself from stuttering.

“I know I can’t stop you there, but at least go to Prince Eret, okay?” said Wilbur, sounded annoyed.

“I give you my word,” spat Carson as if it was an insult, and threw open the door. He stopped for a moment, as if he had something more to say, but he kept walking and slammed the door behind him.

The slam echoed a bit through the walls, and Wilbur shook his head. The seventh Chosen was obviously upset by what was going on, but he seemed to be keeping the straightest head besides Madi.

“Carson might end up making things worse,” said Ted apprehensively.

“Imane and Lily should be able to calm him down,” said Travis, his voice hoarse, almost at a whisper.

“Charlie, are you okay?” said Wilbur suddenly, staring at him. Charlie made eye contact, and he could see genuine concern behind those grey-brown eyes.

“A little surprised and nervous, but I’m okay. I’m worried about Schlatt though,” admitted Charlie. He was always honest when it came to things like this, even if he didn’t want to be.

“That’s good to hear. Always better than bad,” said Wilbur, standing up and brushing off some of the dog hair off his pants. He walked upstairs without further comment.

“We should cook lunch, all this worrying has cooked everyone up an appetite,” said Ted, who was already in the kitchen.

“Agreed!” piped up Travis, who seemed almost relieved to hear that.

“Charlie, do you know your way around the kitchen?” asked Ted, who had immediately thrown open the pantry doors and started digging through it.

“I guess I know enough to cook a basic meal,” said Charlie, who had mostly let his sisters cook.

“Well get in here and help me out! Maybe I can teach you a thing or two,” said Ted smiling, but the smile felt a bit forced.

Charlie knew Ted was trying his best to take Charlie’s mind off what was going on, and Charlie couldn’t be more thankful. He made his way over to the kitchen, hoping that this whole ordeal would be the absolute worst of it.

It was a good hope, but the future didn’t quite agree with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i lost someone close to me, which is why i stopped updating.
> 
> please take this very short chapter as an apology, and know that i will be trying my hardest to stay active writing.
> 
> thank you to those who consistently comment and leave your feedback, you know who you are. you keep me writing <3


	14. The Uneven Path We Travel On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phil, Niki, and Tommy make their way to the capital, but two commanders need some help first. And who knows, maybe this trio is about to become a group of five.

“Phil, are we there yet?”

“Nope.”

“...How about now?”

“Still no.”

“Now?”

“Sorry, Tommy, we have quite a bit to go.”

“Hmph. Now?”

“We will turn this carriage around and I’ll leave you back at the cottage!”

“No, no no! Philza, sir, I’ll be quiet now! STOP LAUGHING NIKI!”

As much as Tommy was quite annoying, he was a huge relief for Phil and Niki. The comedic air that Tommy had around him was enough to distract Phil from his worries, if only for just a moment to spare some laughter.

The carriage bumped around on the poorly paved road, and Phil was starting to feel a little ill. He shook his head sadly; He could fight off dozens of enemies at once, but couldn’t handle a little carriage shaking? He amazed himself sometimes.

Tommy, on the other hand, seemed to be treating this like it was a joyride. His face was practically glued to the window when he wasn’t bothering the adults or asking Niki questions about the battle capital.

The apprentice would point out every animal or plant he saw on their way there, making sure everyone heard him. Phil was grateful that Niki enjoyed his charisma and talkative nature. If she didn’t, this ride would've been quite painful for her.

After a warm dinner of cabbage, potato, and green bean soup with homemade bread rolls, Niki had told them both a story about one of her most exciting invasions. Tommy went to bed shortly after, while Niki and Phil discussed what they were going to do at the capital.

Phil and Tommy woke up before the sun rose (Phil let Niki sleep in) to pack up their bags for the journey and prep the carriage. Tommy complained most of the time while lugging around his satchel, but Phil could tell that Tommy couldn’t be happier.

Niki woke up soon after that, and since she was still packed from arriving the night prior, the trio was able to leave in the carriage at sunrise right after a breakfast of hearty oats and milk.

Phil, Prince Techno, and the seventh chosen Wilbur Soot were all very close, so he planned to contact Wilbur once he got to the castle. He wanted to bring Tommy along, so hopefully, they all got along.

Part of him knew Tommy was ready, but the other part wasn’t so sure. Tommy was trained in three kinds of combat and basic charm, but was that going to be enough to defend him? Phil wasn't sure wether or not he was going to be going into actual combat or not, so it was kind of a risky gamble.

Tommy disliked his siblings and most kids lived in the public school district areas, so Tommy didn’t really hang out with anyone but Phil and any guests that Phil had over. Hopefully, Tommy will gain more on this trip than Phil could ever teach him: true friendship.

It was just about lunchtime now, so Phil estimated they had been on the road for six, maybe seven hours so far. This carriage wasn’t very fast, but it’s not like they had very many options. Phil supposed he could’ve flown them there if he wanted to, but it would be incredibly unsafe and typically turned people against him when they found out he had wings.

“I’m bored!” squeaked Tommy, who had been picking at his fingernails for the past few minutes of silence.

“Well, there’s not much for us to do in here, it’s a carriage.” chuckled Phil, eyeing his apprentice with wise eyes.

Tommy wore his family’s classic red and white short sleeve shirt, but he had ripped off the family crest and Phil sewed in a design of his favorite records instead. He wore a bandana around his neck, blue like his eyes. He wore commoner’s black leggings and Himberland boots, a gift from his uncle. He also had a very small leather belt, with a bag on the side containing a slingshot and hunter’s knife.

Phil also observed the injuries the boy had on his hands and arms. Most were scratches from thorny plants or stubborn animals, but the largest cut was on his forearm from when he accidentally tripped over a rock and fell down a hill. There were also a couple bruises from sparring practice.

“I packed food, would you like to have a snack?” asked Niki politely, pulling out her white satchel with golden lining. The king’s crest was sewn onto the bottom, and Phil wondered if it was a gift.

“Oh, yes! I’m starving!” said Tommy, his eyes suddenly locked on the bag.

“Phil, would it be okay if I gave him-” began Niki.

“It’s lunchtime, he can have an appropriate amount of snacks as long as he uses his manners,” answered Phil before Niki could even finish the question. She smiled.

The blonde war strategist pulled out an apple and some slices of cheese from the bag and handed them to Tommy, who snatched them up like a squirrel getting an acorn.  
“What would you like?” asked Niki, turning to the Northern Spirit, her eyes gleaming softly.

“Oh, I’m okay for right now, but thank you,” said Phil, bowing his head in respect as he politely declined her offer.

“I see, just let me know if you want something!” she said happily, before pulling an apple out for herself.

Suddenly, the carriage halted to stop. Everyone and everything in the carriage lurched forwards, and Tommy dropped his apple. He swore a bit and picked it back up, dusted it off his sleeve, before taking another bite.

“What’s wrong?” said Tommy through a mouthful of apple, while Phil shook his head at what Tommy just did. He almost told Tommy off, but he was more concerned about why the carriage had stopped.

“Let me go check it out, you two stay in here,” he said, nodding to Niki, who placed her hand on the hilt of her sword. Tommy excitedly grabbed the hunting knife out of his little belt bag, adrenaline obviously coursing through him.

“Be careful with that!” whisper-yelled Phil, before slowly closing the door, trying not to make too much noise. He pressed his back to the carriage, shuffling his feet, and peered around the edge of the carriage.

There wasn’t any driver on the carriage; the horses had been trained in the king’s cavalry from birth and knew these trails like the back of their hooves, but there was something in the horses' way.

A fallen tree blocked the pathway, and two figures were talking in front of it. They were both short, but one had a little bit of height on the other. The slightly taller one was quite fashionable, and he had light brown fluffy hair that looked perfect despite the slight wind.

The shorter one had one of those new-fashioned hats called beanies, but Phil could see a black mullet poking out the back of it. He was quite loud, and his voice was very distinct, the kind that you could instantly pick out from a crowd.

They were both dressed like diplomats, but they weren’t really acting like ones. The taller one was laughing so hard that he could barely stand, while the shorter one made faces and mocked being angry at the log. 

Phil couldn’t see any weaponry, and they seemed familiar, so he decided to approach them, but he was careful to keep his hands near his waist. They barely seemed to notice him as he walked closer.

“As if we could move this! My arms would have to be the size of Sir Purpled’s!” said the shorter one while mockingly flexing, which made the taller one laugh even harder.

“Excuse me?” said Phil dryly, crossing his arms over his chest like he did when Tommy got in trouble.

The two men immediately turned their heads, stopped laughing, and stood up straight.

“Hey, er, hello there sir! You caught us off guard! How may we help you today?” asked the tall one, while the shorter one turned bright red.

“My name is Phil Watson-” he began before the shorter one cut him off.

“THE Phil Watson? I mean, Imane said you were coming but I didn’t believe- OW!”

The taller one had elbowed him in the ribs, smiling in the way that young people did when they felt awkward.

“We are the assistant commanders of Felicitas security! We are here investigating this fallen tree, which has blocked the main pathway from Zaraina!” proclaimed the tall one.

“Do you need some help moving it?” asked Phil with a happy sigh. They reminded him of Tommy, lanky and young. He could tell that they didn’t choose this job and that they probably didn’t have much experience. They were probably trying their best.

“Yes, please, sir!” they said in unison and stood aside to let Phil work his charm. The Northern Spirit kneeled down next to the tree, placing one hand on the tree and one hand on the soil he stood on.

Suddenly, there was a rumble, and the tree began sinking into the ground like quicksand. The tree was wide, but not very tall, so it sank quite fast. The two men watched with their jaws dropped and their eyes wide as the tree sunk deeper and deeper, like pushing a pebble into the sand.

After a minute or so, the only thing remaining of the tree were a couple branches poking up from the soil. It was as if someone had stabbed the sticks into the ground instead of manipulating the earth into sucking up an entire tree. Phil stood up, content with his work.

“That was fucking incredible!” screeched the shorter one suddenly, staring at the ground in disbelief. The other did nothing but stand in awe, nodding in agreement. Phil gave a laugh, deep from his belly. These boys were obviously in their late teens, despite their ranking as assistant security commanders. Phil suddenly felt like he had known them for a while.

“Do you guys perhaps need a ride back?” asked the Northern Spirit, not seeing any carriage or horses.

“Yeah, we were dropped off but we don’t have our own carriages…” said the taller one, scratching his arm nervously.

“Thank you so much!” said the shorter one enthusiastically, reaching out his hand.

Phil took his hand and firmly shook it, watching the boy wince a little at Phil’s grip.

“My name is Quackity, aka Alex, and my partner here is Karl!” he said, shaking his hand a little from the tight grip.

“Nice to meet you. Let me introduce you to my companions,” said Phil kindly, and they all walked back to the carriage together, ready to continue on to the capital.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you everyone for the kind messages, this has been one of my favorite chapters to write so far!! tommy and phil are so fun to play around with because of their distinct speaking and wording patterns, along with their father/son dynamic.
> 
> also karl and alex are here!! woohoo!! i love them both so much and they're such an underrated duo, i had to give them a position they deserve while keeping their fun and more innocent side!!
> 
> much love to everyone and thank you for the kind messages! 
> 
> love, red


	15. Neon Gravestones Try to Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A death, a fight, a new beginning. A few short hours will cut the string leading to an easy life.

* ! This chapter has some angst. If you don't like reading angst, you can skip this chapter and a summary will be provided at the end. ! *

"I'm sorry, your highness. Your father has passed."

Those are the words that Techno heard just after the sun rose that morning. He sat in the garden and clenched his crown in his hands. He felt like his entire body was so heavy that he was one with the stone bench. He wouldn't care very much if he turned to stone right then and there. 

The garden was in between the main castle and west hall, which was mainly for meetings, planning, and other strategic events. The garden itself was beautiful, but Techno was the only one who spent much time in it. There were petunias, tulips, vines of grapes and trees of fresh fruit. 

There was a gravestone in the back too, but it only had the years born and passed, not a name. The year of death on the stone was two years before he was born, but he never bothered to ask his father. It could’ve been a relative, close friend, or an enemy. Now? He would never know.

He felt a single tear slip down his cheek before he heard footsteps. He could easily identify the material that the sole of this person's shoes were made of: there was absolutely no mistaking manufactured metallic sound of light iron, and the slight reverb hinted that the shoes had a slight heel to them, but they weren't heavy enough to be a pair of boots. 

He was suddenly met with dress shoes, and he looked up to see his twin. Eret's face was completely blank but full of thought like he was a child trying to understand the concept of death. They both gave heavy sighs before Techno stood up to meet his brother eye to eye.

"How... are you feeling?" began Techno. He was never good with this sort of thing.

"Can we not do this right now? Sorry, that sounded rude. I mean, you’re announcing his death and getting crowned this afternoon Not to mention here's all that Chosen Nine shit, not to mention The Northern Spirit is on his way right now-" sputtered Eret, but stopped as Techno put a hand on his shoulder.

"Steady yourself, Eret. You are going to hurt yourself by overthinking this," said Techno calmly, trying not to hide his worry.

"You're going to be king tomorrow. You understand that, right? You're going to have to become king tomorrow and deal with everything else that's going on!" exclaimed Eret, stress-pulling at his skirt.

"I am not alone in this. We are not alone in this. You are not alone in this. Please realize that. We have Imane, Lily, Fundy, Niki, The Northern Spirit, the Chosen Nine, and now the Sacred Three. Between all of us, we can't lose."

They stood in silence for a moment. Eret twiddled his thumbs as he thought. Everything going on was screwing with his head, but Techno knew trying to imply that his brother wasn't mentally here wouldn't help.

"You didn't sleep all night. Why don't you get some rest?" he suggested carefully.

"You didn't sleep all night either! In fact, I don't think you slept last night either," spat back Eret.

"I have to-" began the strawberry blonde prince before being interrupted.

"You just said we're all in this, and now you're sacrificing your health to sit out and do nothing but, I don't even know!" retorted his shaggy-haired brother.

"My father just died. I am allowed to mourn," said Techno coldly, before immediately realizing his mistake.

" _Your_ father? Am I not standing right fucking here? Is there something you'd like to share, wanna confirm any rumors that heavily influenced my entire childhood?" said Eret, his eyes cold and dense. His voice sounded hoarse and raw, as if he hadn't used it in decades.

"Of course I didn't mean it like that-"

"Then what did you mean?"

"I don't know why I said that, I'm just a little frazzled right now!"

"Are you his only legitimate child?"

"What kind of question is that? You, me, and our sister are all related to him by blood."

"Do you know that for sure?"

"I guess I don't, but I hardly think that's fair-"

"Think about that."

Eret suddenly turned and walked off. Techno was absolutely speechless. He knew there were rumors that Eret wasn't his blood brother when they were children, but he never thought it really meant anything. He had just assumed that Eret shrugged it off the way he did, and he realized he never knew what people said to Eret when he wasn't around.

He felt himself lash out and suddenly throw the crown at the ground. He watched as it landed in the dirt with an unsatisfying noise. He let out a low growl-like noise and stared at the dirty crown. This is what he had been training his entire life for, yet the timing could not be more wrong.

Techno realized he needed to get ready for his ceremony. He looked at the crown one last time. It looked almost natural, covered in dirt smudges. The emeralds and rubies shined like the roses it was next to. Techno suddenly shook his head and turned around. He figured Eret was right about one thing: he needed to get start preparing for his ceremony.

He approached the large door that would lead him back into the main castle. It was made of dark oak wood with thick steel handles. The guards nodded and opened the door for him, revealing a long hallway that was made of stone with wooden planks stained the color of milled flour. The floor was completely stone as well, but a purple rug was rolled out the entire length of the hallway. 

The walls were also adorned with golden picture frames with paintings inside of former kings and queens. These paintings often brought Techno great displeasure for a couple of reasons. The first is that he knew the frames were not made of real gold, it was just cheap copper stained a golden yellow. 

The second is that none of the paintings had names, years, accomplishments, or any kind of words. He couldn't tell who any of the people were, when they ruled, or a single positive thing they did when they ruled. He wouldn't have even known they were past kings and queens if his childhood nanny didn't tell him so.

He knew his father’s portrait would be hung up soon. Would people remember his father’s name, after everything he’s done and given for this kingdom? Techno knew he’d be in a similar situation one day, lying on his deathbed, hoping what he did was enough to be remembered. Was that what he was going to become? A nameless face in the west hall? 

A familiar and caring broke through his thoughts and grounded him back down to reality.  
  
“Techno? Are you ready to get ready for the ceremony?”  
  
Fundy, his childhood best friend. Fundy’s father and mother were a knight and a stable caretaker respectively. Fundy’s father died saving a stranger during the Great Burning, and his mother was killed during an attempted raid on the castle. Fundy was allowed to stay in the castle, so they had grown up almost like brothers. 

They didn’t see each other for years when Techno went off to Roastanaqui School of Combat, but thankfully Fundy still wanted to be Techno’s friend when he and Eret returned. Techno taught him to read and write, and Fundy got it so fast that he was able to get a higher education. Now, Fundy was the Head Commander of Felicitas security, with two assistant commanders who Fundy took in from the orphanage and trained.

Techno nodded, and Fundy could basically read his mind.  
  
“The announcement for one person from each household to dress in black to meet in the castle’s courtyard was already made for. You’ll just have to go out on the front balcony, announce your father’s death and that’ll you’ll be the new king. Then, I’ll read some words out and Eret will put the crown on your head. That’s all you have to do,” soothed Fundy, taking Techno’s hands in his.  
  
“You got this.”  
  


* * *

  
Techno now stood behind a curtain. On the other side, only a giant crowd representing the entire population of the capital of his country. Not that big a deal.. right?  
  
Fundy was already on the balcony, explaining to the crowd that the eldest prince had a very important announcement and that it was important to not talk during it. 

Techno was now dressed up in a black dress shirt with black pants and black boots, adorned with a black cape. The cape had a white outline and rubies plastered along the white line, looking like little drops of blood.

Techno had to admit where the crown was, and it was now cleaned and in Eret’s hands. Eret hadn’t made eye contact since earlier, which was unusual considering he would’ve usually at least said something to Techno by now.

“And now, Ladies and Gentlemen, the High Prince of Coruscent: Prince Techno!” he heard Fundy call from beyond the black curtain. 

Techno summoned up the courage to walk through the curtain, and the first thing he noticed is how the cold stung his face like pins and needles. The second thing he noticed was the gigantic crowd of people. He hated public speaking, despite doing it all his life. He decided to make it short and to the point.

“A few days ago, King Pete went to volunteer at the hospital. He fell ill from helping the patients, and needed immediate medical attention. He passed away at sunrise this morning.”

He didn’t hear the reaction of the crowd, nor did he look down at them. Seeing their sadness and disappointment would only make this harder.

“I, Prince Techno, will be the new King of Coruscent. My security commander, Fundy, will say a few words now.”  
  
Techno took a few steps back to let Fundy speak. He tuned out all sound and instead focused on his breathing. If he didn’t, he felt like he would surely suffocate. The knot in his chest only tightened when he heard Fundy’s final words.  
  
“Now, Prince Eret will place the crown on Prince Techno’s head, and the coronation will be complete.”  
  
He heard those familiar footsteps come from behind him on his left until his twin brother was standing on the balcony next to him. Eret had a look of determination and cunning on his face, the kind of face he usually pulled when he had a plan. It was not that different from the face he made when he was setting up pranks for Techno when they were children. 

Techno couldn’t help but stare at the crown in his twin’s hands, as if something was attracting him to it. Eret had the power to put the crown on his own head, put the crown on Fundy’s head, or even chuck it straight into the crowd if he really wanted to. 

He could even drop it onto the balcony and stomp on it until it was broken into a hundred priceless golden pieces. Would Eret be in trouble? Certainly. But he also had the power to get out of it, and that was the scariest thing of all.

Techno was so deep in thought about the bad things Eret could do with the crown that it was practically a surprise when he felt it placed upon his head. He hadn’t worn it since he had taken it off in the garden, and he couldn’t tell whether he felt heavier than before or weightless.

Suddenly, he noticed Fundy kneel down one knee next to him and bow his head. He heard Eret moving on the other side of him, and assumed his brother was doing the same. He forgot about this part: it was the part that he disliked the most about being royalty. People treated him like he was some kind of demi-god when he was just lucky enough to be bored into the royal bloodline.

He kept himself from checking to see if the crowd was kneeling too. He knew that looking at all those people would probably make his heart stop altogether. The faces of the people whose fate he held in the palm of his hand, it made him feel sick to think about.

He was almost relieved when he noticed Fundy stand back up again. Eret soon followed, and the rest of the crowd probably did too, if they were kneeling at all. Suddenly, voices rang out.

“All hail King Techno! All hail King Techno! All hail King Techno!”  
  
Techno waved and immediately turned and walked back behind the curtain. His head was so dizzy from stress, it was like walking drunk on a balance beam. He dropped to his knees once he was out of sight in disbelief. He was really the king. 

He wished his sister was here to see it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Summary: King Pete's death was announced at sunrise that morning. Techno tries to reflect on it by himself in the palace gardens, but Eret finds him. They end up getting into an argument about what's going to happen and whether or not Eret was related to Techno by blood. After the fight, Techno runs into Fundy, his childhood friend and the Security Commander of Felicitas. Fundy comforts him and explains the coronation ceremony. A crowd is summoned before the castle, where Techno announces his father's death and is crowned the new king of Coruscent.
> 
> \---------------
> 
> oh my gosh!! i wasn't orginally planning on writing angst, nor am i good at it, but i felt that it would really help techno's character development and steer the direction in which he leads his kingdom.
> 
> please let me know if you enjoyed it! maybe i could add a little more angst if people enjoy it. if not, i'll rewrite the chapter! love you all!


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